Mechanical Man
by The Androgynous Alchemist
Summary: Edward returns from the other side of the gate after two long years. After a renuion with the others it appears he isnt telling them everything. Just what is he hiding? And will Roy discover the meaning of the mysterious arrays appearing?
1. I Believe

**Hello!**

**I was originally going to make this story a yaoi, but I think that would have ruined it.**

**Sorry fan girls, hope parental works just as well. Enjoy :)**

Edward pulled his jacket tightly around his torso, shielding his unprepared body from the strong blast of the wind. The dew ridden grass soaked the ends of his trousers and gave his boots a glossy shine, reflecting the pale light of the moon. He was exhausted. Beyond exhausted.

His body screamed with each step, reminding him just how long he'd been trekking. How long had it been? 3 hours? It had to be. The blonde couldn't remember when he'd begun the long walk to Risenbul. Racking his brains was no use, everything was blurred, barley recognisable. Only one thing was certain amongst the jumbled mess beginning to unravel in his head. He was home. There was no mistaking it. The teen paused, attempting to relieve his sore joints. Surprisingly enough, it had little effect. Ed looked ahead, squinting through the darkness. He raised a gloved hand to eye level, waving it in front of his face. '_Great_' he thought. He could barely see a thing.

For a moment, he paused, wondering which direction to go. It would be just his luck if he ended up on the wrong side of town. Taking the familiar pocket watch from his pocket, Ed was surprised to see it ticking. He was sure it had stopped working two years ago. He wondered why a trip to the other side of the gate caused it to function again. Still that didn't matter, if only it could have been a compass.

At last the blonde decided to keep heading forwards. He was tired, grouchy, and in no mood to spend the night (what remained of it) sleeping outside. So much was going though his mind, it was hard to focus. The last thing he remembered was a conversation with his father, which had been much too formal for his liking. Ed could clearly picture the man's blank expression. As the scene played in his head he noticed there was no sound to accompany it. There was no obvious clue as to what the talk had been about. He sighed. It probably wasn't even important. Nothing to do with Hohenheim was ever worth worrying about. The blonde wasn't going to waste his concern.

A shiver crawled under his collar, catching the teen off guard. Biting his lip, Edward dragged himself on, feeling his knees protest sorely.

"Come on!" he shook out his limbs tiredly "Just a little further-"

After an extremely long and treacherous night, Ed's body finally gave up on him. He found himself sat on the damp grass, leaning against a hard gatepost that had managed to knock his head on the way down.

"Wonderful" he sighed sarcastically, another bruise to add to the collection. Closing his eyes, Ed could have fallen asleep on the spot. The thought of a warm house to thaw his muscles was just enough to keep him awake. Cracking open an eye, there was no mistaking the familiar house in view. If it hadn't been for the porch light, he would have certainly missed it.

"Well I'll be damned."

Roy Mustang was very much awake. The sound of the clock dully rang through his ear drums; it seemed almost as if it were mocking him. The soft snores of his colleagues drifted from the other side of the sitting room. Well, there wasn't much of a team. Due to an 'emergency' back at central, the Fuhrer had been extremely fussy regarding movement in and out of headquarters. Roy had been given strict orders he was only to assign three people to a mission. He sighed. At least the task itself had been straight forward. There had been signs of human transmutation not far from Risenbul. From what he had seen of the arrays, the Colonel knew it had nothing to do with homonculus. It was much more likely to be chimeras; however he needed a second opinion. After all, he wasn't much of an expert. There was only one person he could think of. Alphonse.

The teen had more knowledge than he did, but after a short detour before heading back to central, it appeared the Elric couldn't tell him much. Winry had kindly offered to let Roy, Risa and Jean stay for a few nights before heading back, despite the awkwardness between herself and the Colonel. How he wished he could change the past. If Roy had his way, there were two things he would change. Winry would still have parents, and Elysia would have a father. It was at times like this Hughes company would have made all the difference.

Loss was something the Colonel seemed to be contemplating recently. Seeing Alphonse again bought back a lot of memories. It just wasn't the same without Edward. Sometimes Roy would convince himself he missed the simple things, the heated discussions in his office, the slamming door, and most of all, being called a bastard.

No one knew where the eldest Elric was. Some said he was dead, others believed the gate was connected to his mysterious disappearance. Alphonse was one of the few who had seen Ed last, just moments before he'd vanished. Unfortunately, he had no memory's of what happened that night, nor the five years he and his brother had spent looking for the philosopher's stone. Al believed his brother was out there somewhere. And the Colonel? He wasn't sure what to believe, but he refused to believe the great FullMetal Alchemist had been killed so easily. After all, the teen was stubborn.

The click of the latch interrupted his thoughts, his gaze shifted to the door. He looked back to Havoc and Hawkeye, the others upstairs hadn't left either. Where they expecting someone? 'Don't be stupid' he scolded his thoughts, 'People don't expect guests at this time of night!'

The door opened slightly, the figure peered through the doorway, checking for any signs of life. It was difficult to specify the gender of the person; their face was concealed by a dark shadow. A long, gold ponytail cascaded down their back, stopping at the waist. It had to be male; women didn't tend to be as tall. Roy watched the man leave his case by the door, and closed it silently behind him. A pair of eyes scanned the room, stopping at the fireplace, were Roy was cocooned in sheets on the floor. The blonde walked closer. For a moment, the Colonel thought he'd been spotted. He held his breath as the stranger reached out a hand. Unexpectedly, the man reached for a photograph, examining it in the moon light escaping through the window.

Smiling, he moved to put the frame back in its place, but a groan from Jean made him jump. Almost dropping the picture, he turned slightly, gazing at the two sleeping figures on the coach. Edward groaned, lowering his head he muttered,

"What the hell are you doing here..."

"I could ask you the same question" A familiar voice made him freeze. A hoard of colourful words ran through the blondes mind, reminding him that he forgot to check by the fireplace. Releasing the frame from his grip, Ed turned slowly, bracing himself for the reaction.

"E-Edward?"

"Look, I'm not in the mood to explain, can I at least sleep first?"

"You're not Ed! You can't be! He's-"

Roy found a hand clamped over his mouth, effectively silencing him. He looked up at the blonde. There was no mistaking it. He could only think of one person with eyes like that.

"Would you shut up! I can't let them see me now! I'm not in the mood for a reunion at this hour!" his took back his hand, letting it fall to his side lazily, and collapsed into an armchair beside Roy.

"Did you miss me bastard?" he grinned, closing his eyes.

"Ok, so you're defiantly Edward"

"I'll take that as a no then"

The Colonel couldn't help but gawk at the teen. He'd changed so much since their last meeting. His usual red and black attire had been replaced with a dark brown suit. His hair was tied back into a high ponytail, and black slacks covered his feet. Everything had changed accept the familiar white gloves covering his fingers. The blonde cracked open an eye.

"You can stop staring now"

"You've... changed..."

"I'm glad you noticed"

"The others will go nuts when they see you, especially Alphonse"

There was a groan.

"Don't sound too depressed, you make it sound like a chore"

"It is a chore, too many questions." The blonde looked over to Jean tossing and turning in his sleep. "I hope he doesn't wake up..."

"If he does, I'll tell him it's a mirage"

"Thanks..."

The teen sank back into the chair, his aching muscles relieved. As he began to doze into a much needed slumber, he heard the Colonel speak softly.

"Welcome back FullMetal"

**I hope it was ok :)**

**There is much much more to come. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Unsaid

**Hello! Thank you for reading so far!**

**Enjoy chapter 2 :)**

The blonde awoke to the sound of loud mattering and surprised gasps. He groaned.

"Are you sure it's him?"

"He's supposed to be dead!"

"Well obviously he's not Jean"

"But-"

"Would you shut up?"

Edward opened his eyes, noticing small crowd of familiar faces gathered around the armchair he was lounging in. They immediately silenced, waiting for the teen to say something, anything.

"Now now Edward, did you forget your manners?" a cocky looking Roy was sat at the back of the kitchen, peering through the crowd surrounding Ed. The teen glared.

"Shut up, my head screams when you talk"

"Some things never change..." the Colonel ignored the powerful glare he was receiving from the blonde and averted his eyes back to the newspaper in his hands. He wasn't paying much attention to the text; he found Edward's irritation far more entertaining.

"Hey Winry, any chance of some breakfast?"

"Don't you 'Hey Winry' me! How can you think of food at a time like this?"

"I'm hungry!"

"You're always hungry!"

"So would you be if you'd been living on rations!" the grouchy teen got to his feet, rubbing his eyes tiredly, trying his best to suppress a yawn. He began to notice the surprised looks he was receiving, and they began to irritate him.

"What?! Haven't you finished looking? Is there something on my face?"

"Looks like you got taller chief!" Jean smiled, reaching for his precious lighter.

"Did you think I'd still be a runt when I was eighteen?" he smiled. Ignoring the angry looking mechanic, Edward pushed his way through the small crowd. He'd finally found the person he had been looking for.

"Hey Al, did you miss me?"

The younger Elric replied by catching his brother in a tight embrace. Ed stepped back to admire his growth. He couldn't help but wonder if his eyes were deceiving him. The brunette looked similar to the younger version of himself, even wearing his hair in a short ponytail. Edward looked to Roy, who was drumming his fingers on the table casually.

"Has he been behaving himself?" the blonde smirked as he removed his jacket, watching Alphonse glared quietly.

"Of course" the Colonel smiled, "Much better than you ever were"

"Nonsense! If every kid turned out like me, the world would be a better place!" the teen pulled out a chair opposite Roy, taking a seat beside his brother.

"More than one Edward... I don't like the sound of that, the thought alone gives me the chills" Ed glared as he helped himself to a slice of toast from the rack, frowning as he saw the others approaching.

"Can I at least eat first?"

They stood silently, absorbing the blonde's growth, minds bursting with questions eagerly. Ed turned, hearing Pinako emerge from the workshop, the usual black pipe held between her fingers.

"Nice of you to join us Edward" she smiled; smoke beginning to fog the room. Pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, Pinako approached the teen, scanning him from head to toe.

"I see you've grown... at last"

The teen replied with a growl. The old lady was certainly an expert at winding him up. Before Hawkeye could utter a word, the blonde hushed her before she could speak.

"Yes, I'm back. No, I'm not dead, and yes I got taller." Reaching for the a drink of water, the glass barley touched his lips when the Colonel spoke.

"I'm glad you're here, there some-"

"For once, we both agree on something!"

"I'd like you to look at something; we've just finished a mission-"

"Figured" Roy glared. "What? I kind of guessed you're not here to socialise..."

"AS I was saying, we found some arrays, I'd like you to take a look" Roy placed four photographs onto the table, pushing them closer to Ed. The blonde inspected them curiously.

"We ruled out human transmutation, but I thought it would be best to check with the... expert"

"Do you want my help or not?" the teen snapped tiredly.

"Look Colonel sarcasm, I could be doing other things right now! If you want a second opinion, how about you learn some manners first" there was a pause.

"Ok, _Edward_, would you kindly look at these photographs and give me your opinion?"

"Of course _Colonel_, now let's get down to business" the teen said, rolling his sleeves to his elbows and adjusting his tight collar.

"I must say Chief, you really do scrub up nicely" Jean smiled with a cigarette between his lips. Ed looked down at his own attire, reminding himself that he needed a change in wardrobe. "Wearing suits now huh?"

"It was the fashion there" the blonde smiled, knowing full well the others had no clue as to where he was referring too. "It was lent to me by my father; he insisted that he wouldn't be seen with me wearing a fluorescent red jacket..."

"You saw dad?! How is he?" Ed rested a hand on his brother's shoulder, fearing if Al didn't calm down he would end up bouncing through the ceiling.

"Geez Al, calm down! We don't want you having a nosebleed..." he smiled, "he was fine when I last saw him"

"You mean he's not..."

"He couldn't come back even if he wanted to, his pride wouldn't allow it" he laughed, "He says that his position is too important"

"Position?"

"He's a politician, its important he stays until the war-"

"You just left him there?! In the middle of a war! How could you just leave him?"

"Look, I've paid the price for being selfish, and I have the scars to prove it! There are other people's lives at stake; I'm not putting them in danger just to please myself! Do you think I don't wish he was here? Of course I do! I'd switch places just to make you happy!"

"Of course you would! I can't believe you just bailed out and left him there, you coward!"

The blonde stood, towering over Alphonse. His head was lowered, and he looked furious. He tried to control his anger. Al didn't have a clue what had happened those past two years. In reality, Edward had been far from a coward, and to hear that word used against him.... It hurt. Like a knife through his chest. It shattered everything he had accomplished, the pride he'd built like a solid wall.

"Don't you dare call me a coward" he spat, "You have no idea what I've lived through for the past two years, so don't start talking as if you know everything!" "You think I'm a coward? Try growing up in a warzone and see what it does to you." The blonde turned on his heel and headed for the doorway.

"Where are you going?!" Winry called.

"Out."

"What about the picture?" Roy reminded him.

"Later."

As Roy Mustang watched the teen disappear through the door, he wondered if he would ever see him again. After all, it was just hours ago the blonde had appeared.

Edward sighed, inhaling the cool air through his nostrils in a desperate attempt to calm himself. He had pictured his return quite differently to how it actually turned out. He had hoped for a day of much needed rest, but it appeared that stress would be the only thing he'd be receiving today.

Just his luck. Back for just hours, and he had already fallen out with his brother. The one person he'd been longing to see. The blonde wondered if his words had been a little harsh, but quickly erased the thought from his mind. Perhaps it was time to teach his younger sibling how to listen. He couldn't help but smile. It seemed Al also inherited the blonde's fiery temper, although he sincerely hoped not. Hopefully, it was just a phase, one that Edward had been through himself. He liked to think he was slightly more mature than he had been a few years ago. Perhaps he had the gate to thank for that.

Sighing, Ed closed his eyes and leaned back onto the bark of the tree, knees drawn to his chest. If he had never dealt with the gate, Ed could almost guarantee his life would have turned out much smoother. He cursed himself for not realising sooner. There was no excuse for messing with equivalent exchange. If he hadn't known before, he certainly did now, and hoped Al wouldn't be as careless as him.

It was amazing how a single mistake as a child managed to screw him up so badly. Pulling off his right glove, he smiled sadly at the sight of metal. It was nothing like Winrys, you couldn't see your reflection, and it barley functioned. The joints were always stiff; each movement produced a rough sound, like a door hinge in need of oiling. However pleasant the thought of flesh limbs seemed, the blonde knew it wouldn't be the same. He'd grown so used to accommodating the extra weight, and knew all too well that his automail had gotten him out of many close encounters. He had to admit, it could really be a handicap sometimes.

Edward cursed himself mentally. He was turning into an automail geek like Winry. How wonderful.

Winry. He groaned. He knew the topic of automail was bound to come up soon, and the idea didn't sound too thrilling. Of course the mechanic was only trying to be helpful, but it often didn't appear that way. Ed knew it was unlikely, but hoped she would forget.

"Good afternoon Colonel, do you come here often?"

It appeared the blonde had heard him approaching. Roy couldn't help but wonder if he was losing his touch.

"I try not to make a habit of it" he leaned against the tree, looking down at the teen.

"Let me guess, your here to make a truce?"

"You know Ed; you'd make a good detective" he smirked, "anyone ever tell you that?"

"You'd be surprised, I think I remember Officer Hughes say that once... and before you ask, I'm not going into details right now"

There was a brief silence.

"He's sorry you know"

The blonde sighed, opening his eyes to look at Roy gazing down at him.

"I know. But more importantly, how did an unlucky bastard like you get stuck with finding me?"

"I was kindly volunteered..." he muttered, vaguely remembering an irritated Risa raising a pistol to his temple. The Colonel had learned from experience it was better not to mess with the hawk in such a dangerous mood.

"How kind of you to offer"

"Look Edo, I know it's going to take a while for things to go back to normal, but its better if you get it over with"

"By it, you mean... questions, right?"

Roy remained silent. The blonde knew exactly what he meant.

"I know you all deserve to know, it's not every day someone disappears for two years and suddenly just appears again, it's just..." he paused, unsure how to finish.

"There are some things I'd rather not talk about" he looked up, feeling a hand on his shoulder. It was unusual for Roy to be so... friendly towards him, and he wasn't sure how to react to such an act of kindness.

"It's ok you know, they'll understand"

The blonde smiled.

"I hope so"

**Sorry if that dragged on a bit! Thank you for reading so far, I never expected such a great response after just one chapter!**

**See you next chapter :)**


	3. Proof

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS!! You have been warned!**

**Hello again :) Thank you for reading so far, I admire your patience!**

"Edward."

"Roy."

The Colonel glared at the stubborn teenager. The blonde glanced cautiously at the doorway, determined to enter when he was ready, not when his superior ordered him to.

"Ed, stop being childish. I know you can act your age when you want to, so just do yourself a favour and go in!"

"Childish?" the blonde grinned, "would I ever do such a thing?"

"Just go in! Or I do I have to drag you myself?"

"I'd like to see you try old man" Edward grasped the handle tightly and craned his neck to look back at the man. "I hate to break it to you Roy, but I'm immune to threats"

The Colonel forced a smile, watching the teen open the door without a trace of nerves or guilt. His expression remained calm and collected, as if he had just returned from a normal walk. Despite putting on a brave face, Roy could guarantee Ed was a bag of nerves. He always managed to see through the mask the blonde displayed, and after many years it appeared to be crumbling. If anyone looked close enough, it wasn't hard to spot the true emotion seeping through.

Edward growled in irritation.

As soon as his foot stepped through the door, everyone's attention shifted, almost as if he were a magnet. It was beginning to irritate him. He felt like a caged animal being peered at through the bars. If the stares didn't cease eventually, Ed would have to remind them just how much of an animal he could be.

Glancing around the sitting room the blonde noticed the absence of his brother. Sighing, he collapsed into his favourite armchair and ran a hand through his hair.

"Al, I know you're listening just please... sit down, I promise I won't scream at you" the brunette sheepishly emerged from the stairway, his attention fixed on the floor as he approached his brother.

"I think it's safe to say you've been wondering where I've been..." he smiled, "I'll tell you, all of you, but you have to promise you'll listen to everything I have to say first" Ed motioned for the other to join him, sighing as he rubbed his temples. He had no idea where to start. Was the blonde wasting his breath? What if they thought he was stark raving mad?

"Brother?" the teen was interrupted from his thoughts by a hand shaking him lightly on the shoulder. Stretching his back the blonde rested his head in his hands, elbows digging into his lap.

"No questions until I'm done, okay?" The group replied with a silent nod, waiting for Ed to begin eagerly, relived that their questions would finally be answered.

"Something wrong chief?" Jean asked after a long silence, dropping his shrivelled cigarette into the glass ashtray.

"I... Don't know where to start..."

"From the beginning" the Colonel wore his usual mocking smirk, one that Edward knew all too well. Ignoring Roy's cocky comment the teen ploughed on nervously.

"Al, how much do you remember about the night I went missing?"

"The last memory I have of you is... when we tried to bring back Mom"

The blonde groaned. This sure wasn't making it any easier.

"The night I disappeared Envy killed me."

The same thought plagued all of their minds. Had the Elric really been killed so easily? He'd had so many brushes with dead before, but it surprised them that the homonculus had succeeded.

"Al used the stone to bring me back. When I woke up, he was gone, and I had my limbs back..." the teen was distracted by a brief memory, when he admired his flesh limbs. The moment had only lasted seconds, but it had truly felt wonderful to be able to feel the fabric of his clothes against his skin. But to Ed, his brother's life was worth more than a measly arm and leg. He'd learnt to live without them for so long the thought of a few more years didn't bother him.

"I tried to bring him back, and the gate took me... again."

"That's where you've been? The gate?" Edward couldn't help but notice the disappointment dripping from Risa's voice.

"Not in the gate, the other side of it"

"What's on the other side?" Al asked confusedly. Why hadn't his brother seen it for?

"A... another world, a parallel one" an uncomfortable silence followed. The blonde had been expecting this to happen. How could he have been so stupid? He made a mental note to try and salvage any dignity he had left. _"Great" _he thought, _"now they think I'm skitzo"_

"But.. That's not possible" Winry stuttered, looking at the teens as if he wasn't quite there in the head.

"Well I've got news for you, it is, I've been there. Whether you believe me or not is up to you... but don't look at me like I'm nuts, it's not very flattering" "The other world, it has doubles of the people here, they have the same names and personalities too" there was yet another unwanted silence. Edward sighed fustratedly.

"Why am I bothering? You know what? I might as well go and talk to Den!"

"Look Ed, what you're saying is a little... hard to take in" the Colonel said, remarkably without a hint of sarcasm.

"Wait a minute" the blonde rummaged through his trouser pocket, emerging with a brown leather wallet in his hand. He began to plough through the notes and scraps of paper, until at last he found what he had been looking for. He shoved a photograph in Roy's face, determined to prove himself. He grinned triumphantly when the Colonel took the picture from his gloved hands and began to examine it closely.

"Is that enough proof? Or are you going to send me to an asylum now?"

"It's... Hughes..."

"Officer Hughes" the teen corrected, "from the other side"

Roy's black irises scanned the image repeatedly, his brain recognising the familiar figure on the glossy paper. He was trying hard to control his emotions, constantly reminding himself it wasn't Maes. Not the Maes he'd known. It wore the same smile, but after so many years of friendship, Roy could clearly spot the faults in the man's expression. His gaze shifted to Edwards. Handing the picture to Jean he opened his mouth to speak, but the teen interrupted him before he could.

"Forget it" Edward snatched the black and white image from Havocs grasp, he stood, but before he could leave, three words stopped him.

"I believe you" The blonde slowly turned, looking at the Colonel questioningly. Was his hearing deceiving him?

"Excuse me?"

"I... believe you"

Ed sighed with relief, a weight lifted from his mind. He smiled, feeling that he no longer had to prove himself. Back in Germany, it took much persuasion to convince his good friend Alfons that he wasn't stark raving mad. Luckily for Ed, Al was open minded about the idea.

"Thanks... I mean it"

"You said something about a war..." Alphonse muttered, his gaze fixed at the floor.

"The Second World War" the blondes smile faded. Roy could clearly see Alphonse had hit a nerve. He knew just how terrifying war could be, and experienced it firsthand.

"I... It was..." the teen felt a hand on his shoulder.

"In your own time... FullMetal"

"I was a scientist at the time, Physics, with a friend of mine... Alfons" the blonde glanced at his younger brother. "I guess it wasn't surprising we got on so well, he was just like you Al, sometimes I couldn't face him because it hurt so much. I tried going for walks to get away from him, but I just kept bumping into other people..."

"On my 17th birthday a letter arrived for me" he paused. "I knew what it was, but I couldn't bring myself to open it. Al got one too... Not exactly the best gift I've ever had" he laughed, in a desperate attempt to liven the atmosphere. The blonde didn't go into much detail about the letters contents; he avoided the subject as casually as he could. The others understood, hoping they had guessed wrongly. They didn't have the heart to question him about it; fearing doing so would trigger unwanted memories and emotion for Ed.

The teen wasn't sure what to talk about next. His gloved fingers drummed on the armrest.

"What happened to Alfons?" the blonde's eyes widened at the sudden question.

"W-what?" the teen tried to hide the unease in his voice, his efforts were useless. The Colonel could see Ed's mask crumbling, his expression clearly displayed sadness.

"What happened to Alfons?" the younger Elric had taken a sudden interest to his apparent double from the other world. Before the words had left his mouth, Ed knew he couldn't last much longer, he was bound to crack. Of course he had been expecting it; he had prepared himself for this conversation many hours ago, when he'd chosen to take comfort outdoors away from the questions.

"We were sent to the front line... I-it happened so quickly... before I could tell him, it was too late!" the blondes shoulders began to trembles slightly, he struggled to suppress the tears blurring his vision. "He said he hopes I'd make it home someday, and I... was like a brother to him...."

"And then he was gone, right in my arms! I should have paid more attention to the attack, but I couldn't leave him!" "When I turned around... It was too late"

The tears fell, soaking his porcelain cheeks with a salty river. It was the first time Ed had cried for many years, and it was just as painful as the last.

"S-sorry" he sobbed as quietly as his voice would allow, "I'm sorry... I c-can't talk about it, not now..."

**I know some people are bound to pick on me for making Ed cry, it happened in my last fic.**

**I'm not going to make it a habit! Even tough guys have to open the waterworks sometimes!**

**See you next chapter, when I'll be dropping a bombshell....**


	4. Secrets

**Sorry it's late!**

**I'm a little nervous about posting this; I'm not sure how you will react...**

**I hope you like it! It will put my mind at rest!**

**Enjoy**

The blonde buried himself deeper in the tight cocoon of sheets tangling his limbs. It was late afternoon, and Edward had no intentions of moving just yet.

He heard a soft knock at the door, choosing to ignore it and hope whoever it was would get the message. The hinges creaked, making the teen groan at the irritating sound grinding through his eardrums.

"Ed-ward?" the Colonel sounded surprised, as if he'd been expecting someone else.

"Who else would it be?" came the muffled reply from the mountain of sheets.

"Why didn't you tell me Edward?"

"I did didn't I?! Are you happy now? Now you know."

"It looks like you didn't tell us everything..." Roy's gaze strayed to the edge of the mattress. The blonde froze as he followed his gaze. He hoped he was dreaming. How could he have been so stupid! No one was supposed to find out, not like this...

The blonde slowly sat himself up, leaning back on the headboard. His gaze shifted to the pair of metallic feet sticking out of the sheets, hanging limply over the side of the bed.

"You can't tell them."

"I..."

"Promise me please!"

"They need to know-"

"You think I don't know that?! It's all I've been thinking about since I got back!" the blonde closed his eyes, determined not to let his emotions take over.

"I'm sorry" the Colonel sighed.

"Don't be..."

"You don't deserve any of this..."

"I don't want sympathy" the teen trailed off, "I want to forget it ever happened, but let's face it, I doubt it's going to happen"

Roy pulled the sheets over the artificial limbs, making sure the blonde wouldn't be pestered by anyone else who was likely to walk in.

"There's no point" Ed sighed, "I don't feel the cold, not anymore"

Roy couldn't help but feel his heart twinge. It was difficult not to feel sympathy for the teen. His trip to the gate hadn't exactly been a holiday by the looks of things. He wondered what possessed Ed to keep going, he was always so determined. Looking over to the blonde, it looked as if Ed had trouble sleeping. His eyes were red and unfocused; the blood disappeared from his cheeks leaving the skin unnaturally pale.

"Have you been sleeping?"

"Huh?" Edward replied half asleep, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Have. You. Been. Sleeping?"

The teen laughed tiredly. "If I said yes you wouldn't believe me anyway"

The Colonel took a seat beside the blonde.

"You can talk to me you know" he said, resting a hand on Edwards shoulder comfortingly. "We care about you Ed, just remember that" Roy made his way to the door, looking back once more at the exhausted looking alchemist disappearing under the covers. Reaching out for the handle, a low whisper caught his attention, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Thank you..."

"You can't tell them."

"I..."

"Promise me please!"

Jean Havoc reached out for another cigarette. He leaned back against the wall, close enough to pick out words and phrases from the conversation. Listening in was a skill Jean had developed over the years. It seemed no one trusted him with secrets, even his close colleagues. He always wondered if he was that untrustworthy. Was it something he was lacking?

Peering down at the stick of nicotine between his fingers, Havoc sighed and shoved it back into his pocket. It was about time he quit the damned things.

Hearing the door close quietly, Jean made no attempt to hide his presence. His gaze met a surprised Colonel, who tensed, smiling awkwardly. The blonde smiled back smugly, pausing as he passedd Roy.

"Don't worry Colonel. I'm rather good at keeping secrets"

"_Al!!" Edward called out to the lifeless body in his arms, hoping that some miracle would return the colour to its hazel eyes. The teen could already feel a hot trail of tears run down his pale cheeks, blurring his vision. It felt as if time had stopped. There he was, kneeling in the middle of a battle field as countless men charged past him as if he didn't exist, armed with a deadly variety of weapons. They didn't set eyes on him. Their own lives were their top priority._

_He knew he had to let go. Crying wasn't going to bring back anyone, Edward knew that from experience. He couldn't find the strength to pry himself away. Those eyes, just like his brothers. There was no mistaking the resemblance. It felt like he was saying goodbye to Alphonse all over again._

_There were screams. The blonde dropped the body hanging limply in his arms, diving to safety without a second thought. Before Ed could take one final look at Al, the familiar burning sensation gnawed at his skin. Falling to the ground in pain, he cast his eyes around the endless warzone around him that stretched out beyond the horizon. Body's littered the floor and he hoped he wasn't going to become one of them._

Edward jerked as he awoke from a most unpleasant slumber, breathing deeply as he came to his senses. Ed had grown accustomed to irregular sleeping habits; his body had grown immune to it. The nightmares that plagued him were a regular event he'd grown accustomed to, but each one was just as draining as the last.

Swinging his legs over the side of the mattress, he craned his neck to glance at the clock, the crimson numbers dancing before his eyes. It was 3am, just like always. He groaned, knowing it was highly unlikely that he would be going back to sleep. The teen's senses were on overdrive. Ed found himself jumping at the smallest of things, from the changing clock, to the creaking of the floorboards. Making his way over to the door he glanced back at the black slippers beside his bed. It was highly unlikely that anyone would be awake, but thinking back to his encounter with Roy the first night of his return, the Elric decided that he didn't have the best of luck. Better to be safe than sorry.

Gold glassy eyes wondered over the glossy photographs in his hand. Leaning back into the chair he yelped when a voice boomed over his shoulder.

"Can't sleep chief?" Jean Havoc grinned smugly, looming over his shoulder. "That's a nice collection you got there"

"What are you doing up?"

"Could ask you the same question"

Jean gestured to the box of cigarettes lying on the glass table; its contents sprawled out messily.

"My heads having a tantrum" he groaned, rubbing his temples, "I wish quitting was easier"

The teen smiled and turned back to the photographs, quickly stuffing them back into his wallet before the man would take any interest. Jean perched himself on the armrest, catching the brown leather between his fingers.

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Course not!" the blonde loosened his grip sheepishly.

Casting his eyes at the first image, Havoc smiled. Edward and his father. They both wore their hair in high ponytails and dressed in matching suits. It seemed Ed had been dragged into the shot by his father with a false grin etched across his face, trying to convince the lense he was having a whale of a time.

"You're not going to like this, but-"

" 'You look so much like your dad' " the teen sighed, the words rolled off of his tongue as if he'd rehearsed them. "Mom said that once" he smiled at the memory, "I tried to cut my hair afterwords"

Jean looked at the teen, examining the loose honey stands pooling around his shoulders.

"I'm glad you failed! Can't have Ed without any- hair..." his voice trailed as he looked at the next image, a picture that was only a few years old. A deep trench filled the landscape, blocking out the sky and land stretched across the horizon. The familiar teenager was missing the trademark braid. It had been replaced with short layers etched into the back, his long sides still curling under his chin, similar to how it had been as he was a child. His mother had eventually given up on the regular trims she had once insisted once a month. It was clear Edward had found them gruelling.

"Sucks don't it? The bastards cut mine in Ishbal" Jeans gaze strayed to the lighter in his top pocket.

"Why quit so suddenly?" Ed questioned.

"Well, it took a long time to sink in... apparently it's not attractive to smell like an ashtray. Unfortunately I found out the hard way"

"Or perhaps your dates prefer better company" a smug voice taunted from across the room.

"Go back to sleep Roy" Jean rolled his eyes, "Before I knock you out"

"What is this, a mothers meeting?"

The irritated blonde gave the Colonel a glare warningly.

"Sorry for being a light sleeper..." Roy mumbled, burying himself into the covers tangling his limbs.

"Anyone would think you enjoy being a bastard" Ed grinned, the Colonel gave him a glare, rolling onto his side, his back to the teen.

"Talking of sleep, you should really get some shut eye" Jean yawned, dropping the wallet in the blondes lap. He walked over to the sofa and lounged back beside Risa, folding his arms under his head.

"I doubt I'll get any more sleep tonight..." Ed groaned.

"I could always sing you a lullaby" Havoc mocked, not surprised to find his offer rejected. "You know Ed, you can always talk to me... you know?" The blonde paused in the doorway, and replied without looking back.

"I know... it's just.... I don't-"

" 'Want to worry anyone?' " Jean finished, "You worry us more when you keep it bottled up"

"Habit..." the teen muttered in reply, looking back at the man who was longingly glaring at the cigarettes on the table.

"Sure you don't want me to confiscate those?"

There was a groan. "I'll be fine, honestly..."

"You're not very convincing you know" the teen called back as he dragged himself up the stairs, treading carefully to avoid waking the others.

"And you are?"

**I apologise for the lateness, I was going to post this yesterday but I was too tired, how embarrassing! Thanks for reading, reviewing and subscribing :D**

**See you next chapter**


	5. Screwing Up

**This chap was inspired by the recent snowfall :D**

**Enjoy :)**

"Edward, where are your shoes?"

The blonde lazily gestured to the ragged boots lying in the thickening sheets of snow, looking as if they'd seen better days. His cheeks had a slight tint to them, the cold air stung his sinuses, and his beautiful golden hair was a tangled mess, dampened with delicate white flakes falling like rain from the branches above.

Roy sighed. Edward hadn't bothered bringing a jacket. He was dressed in a frail dress shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows and the thin material damply clung to his chest, revealing the metal bolted to his shoulder.

"I'm surprised you're not cold"

"The only part of me that's cold right now is my ass. That's what I get for sitting on the floor..."

The Colonel grimaced as lumps of ice trailed down his back, leaving a wet trail on his already shivering skin. "I hope you don't start making a habit of doing this"

Edward craned his neck to the man towering behind him, brushing the flakes from his blonde bangs. "Couldn't sleep..."

"Next time, perhaps you could spend the night looking at these"

The photographed arrays fell from Roy's gloved fingers, landing in a scattered heap on the teens lap. Each picture was numbered and dated, stating when and where each array had appeared, as well as the location.

"I'll look later, my brains a little seized up right now" Ed stifled a yawn. "And one more thing, quit stalking me."

Roy looked down at the blonde with a mock expression of hurt across his face, which soon faded into the usual sarcastic smile specially reserved for Edward. He hadn't had the chance to use it for a few years. It didn't have the same effect on any other being.

"Of course. If were together too often, people might make the assumption I like you! Now that just wouldn't do..." the Colonel trailed back through his footprints and into the small maze of woodland, brushings the flakes from his raven hair. Roy made sure to tread carefully. He knew if he fell now, the blonde would never let him here the end of it.

"You really are a bastard"

Roy stopped in his tracks. "That's not what I said Ed-" As he turned back to face the blonde, he was rewarded with a pelt in the face. Ice smeared across his cheek, numbing his already frozen skin.

"Got to admit, I've got a pretty good aim"

Roy smiled menacingly, and slowly retraced his steps towards Ed. "Unlucky for you Edward, I'm not too bad myself" the Colonel lazily kicked a thick mound of snow in the teens direction, showering him with light snow. Ed brushed the flakes from his face and slowly rose to his feet, gaze fixed on the man who began to back away, hovering nearby a crowd of thick trees.

Roy quickly disappeared into the thick maze of trees. Pressing his back to the damp bark he wondered how long it had been since he willingly ventured out into the snow. Usually, he avoided winter weather as much as possible, which wasn't hard as most of his time was spent in an office dealing with paper work. He definitely didn't loath the soldiers who were sent on assignments. Winter. He loathed it. Detested it. But that wouldn't stop him from enjoying himself just this once...

Edward grinned as he walked through the clearing. Had the man really been so stupid? There was no use in Roy hiding. His tracks were clearly printed in the snow, leading the blonde like a trail. As Ed looked back at his own prints, he realised his shoes were still missing. But that didn't matter. The memories that had recently been relived in his mind had been pushed aside for now. He had business to attend to.

The trail disappeared behind a large oak tree. The teen trod slowly, pressing his back to the bark. Smiling at the large lump of white in his hand, he was glad he had no feeling in his fingers. The joints in his metal fingers marked the ball of snow he nursed in his hand. Ed peered behind the tree ready to throw puzzled to find no one standing there. The prints had stopped. Where else could the man have gone? Golden orbs glanced up at the tree, quickly dismissing the thought. There was no way the Colonel could have climbed the thing, with his increasing age and all... it would be too strenuous in his old age.

The blonde turned on his heel, only to be greeted with a freezing sensation smack into his cheek. A smug looking Roy casually leaned back onto another tree looking rather pleased with himself.

"Shut up" the blonde smiled, wiping the flakes from his golden lashes. He walked over to the Colonel, dragging his feet through the snow like a plough. He caught the man unaware, clamping his metal palm to his cheek. It was highly amusing to watch the grown man squirm under his touch. When the teen pulled back, the Colonel cradled his face as if he'd just received a punch. The blonde merely smiled and began to walk back to his usual spot beneath the large oak tree.

He returned to find his black pumps hanging from a high branch, the laces tangled messily.

"Defiantly a bastard." He smiled.

"EDWARD!!" an unmistakable voice boomed as the door creaked on it hinges. Ed winced, nursing his protesting eardrums.

"Were have you been?!"

"For a walk." He replied coolly, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. The teen walked past a fuming Winry who appeared to be glaring daggers, and slumped into a chair close to the fire, his brother eyeing him suspiciously.

"Next time could you give us a little more notice before disappearing in the middle of the night?!"

Ed groaned, looking over to his team mates he apologised silently. At times like this, words were not needed, and they definitely wouldn't make him any better off. The mechanic folded her arms crossly. More than crossly, and demanded an immediate explanation. The blonde in the armchair continued to dwell in his thoughts as if he had heard nothing, enjoying the heat thawing his numb, stinging cheeks.

"You're not going to drop this are you?" he sighed.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" the teen lowered his head silently like a scolded child. After all these years he still hadn't become immune to Winrys strong temper. It was getting harder and harder to deal with as time went on. Havoc and Risa looked over to the blonde sympathetically. Roy just smiled smugly, enjoying every last second of the teens lecture.

"Edward Elric! You selfish-"

"Shut up." Winry silenced, wondering if she had heard correctly.

"What?"

"I don't want to be rude to you Win, but I will if I have to"

"How dare you! Aren't you just a little sorry?"

"For what exactly? Going for a walk?"

"Your bed was empty! Not even a note! Al was worried sick about you!"

"Don't bring Al into this! You're not using him to make me feel guilty!"

"You can't trust us? Is that it? Why don't you let us know what's going on in your head for once Edward?!"

"IT WAS JUST A WALK!" the teen bellowed. "I couldn't sleep! Happy now? Now you can put your mind at rest!" Ed stood, towering over the blonde. He'd remained silent for long enough.

"I'm eighteen years old! EIGHTEEN. I don't need your permission to do anything; I'm not a child anymore! I grew up a long time ago, and it's about time everyone noticed!"

"Don't talk to her like that brother..." Al mumbled. "Every time you walk out that door, I wonder if I'll ever see you again!"

"I'm sorry Al. Leaving you for two years wasn't part of the plan... But I didn't have a choice. I never stopped thinking about you, I didn't even know if you were alive!" "But... I hope you'll forgive me for screwing up your childhood so badly..."

"I could never blame you Ed"

"I won't leave you again. Not if I can help it"

It wasn't until that moment, that Al and Winry noticed the change in Edward. As he stood beside them, it wasn't the short blonde pictured in their heads that they saw. It was a young adult.

**Sorry that was a little on the short side.**

**Ahh Ed, your back five minutes and you manage to have another fight already.**

**Hope that was ok, thanks for reading, reviewing and subscribing : )**


	6. Mugs Like Me

**Hello again!**

**Enjoy the chapter : )**

"You know Edward, there's plenty of room if you want to-"

"No need" the teen cut Winry off before she could finish. "But thanks for the offer"

Roy, Risa and Havoc were still busy packing and in the process of lugging their heavy cases to the doorway. Ed leaned back on the doorframe, frowning at the small leather case hanging limply from his fingers. He hadn't spent much time packing. After living out of a suitcase all his life, Ed barley had anything to his name. The teen only had what he'd arrived in. The clothes he was wearing, and a wallet full of currency that was of no use to him.

Al had thoughtfully given him some clothes and old possessions, the few things he'd left behind before his trip to the gate. His book of research notes and trademark crimson coat. Ed knew it was highly unlucky he would ever be seen in the tatty thing again, but he just couldn't bring himself to part with it.

"Are you sure this is what you want brother?"

"A hundred percent"

"I thought you hated being a dog of the military?"

"People change"

"But there's no reason for you to go back!" the mechanic frowned, "You got Al's body back!"

"I always did, and always will hate being a military dog. But I owe a lot to these guys" the blondes gaze drifted to his team mates, who were chattering amongst themselves. "This is the least I can do"

Alphonse lowered his head sadly. "I'll miss you brother"

"I'll miss you too Al" the teen smiled, "I promise I won't leave it so long next time"

"Are you sure about this?" a voice appeared from behind him.

"Positive. That's if you'll have me of course" he turned to the raven haired Colonel leaning beside him.

"It would be an honour.... FullMetal"

"Back to FullMetal again huh?" the blonde smiled. It was odd being called by his military name. It hadn't been used for several years. Not that he'd missed it or anything.... especially coming from those smug lips. It wasn't long until Havoc and Risa where finished. The military dogs left their cases by the door and said their formal farewells. Then it was Edwards turn. His featureless expression soon curled into a loving smile as he embraced Al into a brotherly hug. The younger Elric clung to his brother's shirt, reluctant to let go. He finally pried his fingers from the fabric and smiled sadly.

"I'll call you" the blonde held his smile, "I promise"

"Promises are made to be broken"

The teen sighed. "You still believe that? I thought you'd grown up by now" he smirked. It was only a matter of time until the brunette began to fume.

"I have grown up!"

"Course you have shrimp! Just keep telling yourself that..." Ed grinned triumphantly, "I've waited all my life to say that!" Al rolled his eyes. "See you later Al!" the blonde called back as he made his way down the gravelly pathway, "And don't forget to cut your hair!"

"I'm not cutting it!!" the brunette replied stubbornly, clamping his hand over his small ponytail protectively. Ed laughed softly under his breath, finally realising why everyone had gotten satisfaction from teasing him as kid. The reactions were highly amusing.

"Colonel!" Alphonse called, "Make sure brother doesn't do anything stupid! And make sure he stays in one piece!"

"I'll try my best, but he's bound to do something! Its written in the stars..." he smiled cockily.

Ed turned to Havoc and Hawkeye, "Has he always been like this?"

"Only since he met you" the both replied in sync, ignoring the glare from Roy, as if the line had been rehearsed.

"Poor kid" Edward took a final glance back at his younger brother and smiled. "Trying to be me when I was younger... You really had your hands full back then..."

"And still do" the Colonel replied smugly.

They were reaching the end of the long trail of fields, and more and more houses began to appear. Ed smirked at the panting team mates beside him, all nursing stitches and sore feet.

"Tired are we?"

"If... I had... the energy to throttle you... I would..." Roy replied between breaths, glaring at the teen.

"You're not tired Chief?" Havoc groaned.

"Takes some getting used to. I used to do a lot of walking, especially on those crappy missions..." he ignored a glare from Roy; he could feel the man's gaze burn into his back.

Sometimes, there was a good side to automail, no matter how irritating or grotesque it could be. It meant Ed didn't have to deal with sore feet and blisters unlike the others. But at times, his ports ached. A dull, throbbing sensation that would occasionally crawl up his thighs like a python, gnawing at his sensitive nerves. Of course he regretted gambling with the gate, but the pain made him stronger. He could endure much more pain than the average person. Each scar marked on his pale skin was like a paper cut, just another one of life's annoyances. He wore those scars to remind him of his mistake, driving him forward.

Edward checked his pocket watch and called back to his team mates, "Quit slacking! It's leaving!"

A few close calls later, team Mustang threw themselves through the carriage doors, ignoring the odd looks they were receiving.

"Jean...." Edward tugged at the man's sleeve, "Sit with me?" he smiled sweetly.

"Of course Chief, but it's going to cost you..."

"You'd charge ME?" the teen gasped, "Do you know who I am?!" "Please! I'm not sitting with that asshole!" he pleaded.

"If you insist" Jean sighed, smiling. Some things never change.

Havoc, Risa and Roy sunk deeper into their seats. Just minutes after their departure they began to fidget, attention shifting from one thing to another. Edward was casually slumped back in his seat, arms folded under his head, eyes scanning the view. The snow began to disappear as the town faded from view; the rays of the sun grew stronger, warming his face pleasantly.

"Got ants in your pants?" he snickered.

"I never thought I'd say this but... this is more tedious than paperwork" Roy sighed, rubbing his temples.

"That really is a miracle sir, because to my knowledge you never do any" Risa glared daggers. It wasn't surprising that the Colonel remained silent. He couldn't find a comment to reply with. Without getting shot anyway...

"I'm guessing you don't ride trains too often" the teen closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth bathing his skin and the breeze caressing his face from the open window. It had been a while since he'd last felt so content. It was one of the few moments in life without annoyances.

"I tend to avoid public transport..." Roy muttered, ignoring the looks from the other passengers.

"Mixing with normal people a little bellow standards for you?" "We can't afford chauffeurs, unlike snobby bastards like you, who get paid for sitting on their asses all day!"

The Colonel looked on, not fazed in the slightest.

"Some people have to work for their wages" the blonde continued, "Unlucky mugs like me..."

"Aren't you exaggerating a little Edward?" Risa frowned. "We all do our fair shar-"

"FAIR?" "So it's fair to send low ranking soldiers like me half way round the world, only to find dead ends and false information?" he huffed grumpily, "I don't think so" the blonde had every right to be irritated. It was rare for him to stay anywhere for more than five minutes. He loathed officers that took so much leave for fancy holidays. Other people couldn't afford to take holidays...

He'd never been granted leave, only when he'd been confined to a hospital bed. It had hardly been a relaxed life for Edward so far. At twelve years of age he signed his childhood away to the military. After questing for the stone for five years, serving Germany for two, he felt his fare share of work had been done. The truth was, his life had barely started. After so much already, the teen wondered what else life had in store for him.

Ed heard a groan from beside him. Jean was rubbing his temples and cursing under his breath.

"What the hell are you- Ohh..." the familiar waft of nicotine wafted through the carriage. Jean Havoc growled weakly as the smell found his nostrils, making his head thump in response.

"God really hates me" he groaned, smacking his head back on the seat.

Roy smiled smugly. "I bet a week's wages he doesn't last a week"

Jean glared. The Colonel really knew how to destroy his self confidence. Ed shared his pain. He too had been the unfortunate victim of many degrading insults. He put a hand on Havocs shoulder sympathetically.

"Ignore him"

"What's wrong FullMetal? Not man enough?"

"As much as I'd love to, I'm a little hard for cash right now, unless you accept marks"

"Excuse me?"

The blonde took out his worn leather wallet and dropped a faded looking note into the man's lap, watching him inspect it with confusion. "What is this, wallpaper?"

"Its money dumbass, and I'm not betting anything with you"

"Ok, two weeks wages"

"Are you trying to bribe me Roy Mustang?" Ed raised an eyebrow. "As a loyal friend, I will avoid temptation" he said finally, throwing an arm around Jean.

"Whatever you say FullMetal" the Colonel smiled. It had been far too long since that name had passed his lips. How he'd missed that flaring temper. The blonde was tempted to correct him. He did have a name after all. But he decided not to waste his breath. He did have standards after all, unlike some...

Two hours later, and a near break down from Havoc, the team arrived at central. Edward suppressed a grin as he stepped foot on the familiar platform, admiring the surroundings he hadn't seen in years. This was it. Where his journey had began long nine years ago. Where he'd first encountered the Colonel without pretending to be asleep.

"Right where I left you" Risa said as she approached the black car. The three males collapsed into the back, slumping tiredly in their seats.

"You'll needing a dorm" Risa reminded Ed. "I'll drop you off on the way back"

"Dorms" Edward groaned, "You mean those crappy craters we're supposed to live in"

"You could always crash with Roy" Havoc suggested, grinning.

"Now that you mention it, Dorms really aren't so bad!" the blonde insisted, "Wait. What am I going to say to people? They're going to ask eventually..." the question was bound to crop up sooner or later. The Colonel paused for a moment before replying rather unhelpfully,

"You're smart, think something up"

The teen glared. "Gee, nice guidelines"

The car ground to a halt a mile from headquarters, and Risa turned to the blonde.

"Take your old room, the key should still be in your case, and if anyone asks where you've been tell them its top secret"

"Thanks" he smiled. "If anyone wants me, I'll be sleeping

"Oh really?" Roy raised an eyebrow, "You should get started on your report, it's a little over due after all"

Needless to say, the feisty teen retaliated with a very colourful expression. Roy Mustang wasn't impressed.

**It was longer! Yay!!**

**Hope there wasn't too much dialogue. See you next chapter : )**


	7. Plenty Of Practice

**Hello : )**

**Thank you for reading, reviewing and subscribing! Here's the next chapter...**

The teen groaned into his pillow, lazily flipping it over to nurse his face in the cool fabric. The sheets bound his limbs, leaving Edward trapped in a white bundle in the centre of the mattress. He cursed as the sun leaked through the blinds, basking his face in warm sunlight.

He rolled onto his back. Long honey strands sprawled across the pillows, tangled from sleep. A pile of clothes lay in a scattered heap at the foot of the bed. For now, he didn't care. Not about the thin, cheap mattress he lay on, nor the irritating sun that woke him from a rather enjoyable sleep. His mind was already occupied.

As the pair of gold eyes scanned the room, Ed's lips curled into a smile. He hadn't paid much attention to the room the following day. He'd been too busy trying to reach the bed. Never in a million years had he expected to wake up in the same dorm again. It was the closest thing to home. Home. Military housing wasn't exactly very home like. It was clear there hadn't been much of a budget for them. It had been squandered on all the high ranking men, and the Fuhrer of course, who practically lived in a palace.

"Lucky bastards..." he yawned, grimacing at the feel of the springs pressing into his back. Ed propped himself up with a flesh hand, craning his neck to the clock, smiling. It was around this time the Colonel would be sat 'enthusiastically' at his desk cursing Edward for being late...

"Edward, did anyone ever teach the meaning of being _on time_?"

The blonde displayed a smug smile as he began the task of tying his hair, closing the office door with a soft kick. He ignored the glares he was receiving and sunk into the leather couch he was rather fond of. He shifted comfortably, arms folded under his head and feet flung over the armrest.

"Good morning Colonel, sleep well?" the man continued to glare. The blonde could feel his gaze burn into him. "I'll take that as a no then"

The flam rose from his seat and walked over to his subordinate, looming over the figure sprawled lazily across the couch. "The Fuhrer was informed of your return"

"Well that's great!" the teens voice was dripping with sarcasm, "Is there anything else? Or can I go now?"

"He wants you to do another assessment" the blonde groaned. "Well, it's to be expected after you're rather long... absence..."

Ed rolled onto his side, propping his head in his hand. "Just give it to me straight, will I live?"

"Well..." Roy smiled, "Maybe.. If I go easy on you..." the teen clearly was not impressed. He clenched his teeth tightly, and curled his lips into a false smile. "What's wrong Ed? You don't look very happy"

"I'm thrilled. Just thrilled."

Edward was pacing. A habit he'd developed over the years, since he began his early military career. It was a way of expressing his nerves and calming them. It gave him something to do, to take his mind off other things.

The crowd were beginning to appear around the training grounds. Men and women alike, different ages and ranks. It was rarely that soldiers of different positions mixed. It was rather odd seeing them separated from their usual divisions. It was to be expected. When word got out that the FullMetal alchemist had returned, the people vowed the battle was something that could not be missed.

Golden orbs darted nervously to the far end of the concrete pitch. Standing smugly in his navy uniform was Roy Mustang, who appeared to be absorbing the publicity like a sponge. There was no mistaking the fact that he was enjoying himself. Edward only wished he could do the same.

The raven haired man was already displaying a victorious grin, ignoring several boos from the mob beginning to form. Havoc and Hawkeye stood beside him, leaving Ed, once again without any moral support. The blonde took a slow breath through his nose, ignoring the impatient chants of his name. He clutched his silver pocket watch tightly, groaning as the clock hands edged closer and closer to midday.

With a click, he clamped it shut. Edward had five more minutes. Just enough time to make a small trip back to the office...

"Thanks Kain! I owe you one!" Ed slapped the soldier on the back, giving him a loose one armed hug as they approached the training grounds. The raven haired man smiled shyly, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Honestly, it was nothing..." Kain insisted.

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble for this? If Ro- I mean bastard asks, tell him I pinched the key and let myself in" the teen stopped in his tracks. Checking his watch, he turned back to Kain and gave a nod of thanks.

"Good luck Ed! I'm sure you'll do fine, you always do!"

"Thanks, don't forget to watch!" with a last deep breath, the blonde tightened his ponytail and rolled his sleeves to the elbow.

"My time to shine"

The chattering ceased. Roy turned, pulling on his white trademark gloves, pausing as his gaze set on the figure on the opposite end of the pitch. Edward was armed like a Swiss army knife. Ammunition littered his torso, and holsters cluttered his waist. The blonde walked closer, stopping a metre from his opponent. His golden orbs narrowed, and Roy could see clear determination.

"I appreciate the effort FullMetal, but I know what you're capable of. You don't need weapons."

"I decided not to take any chances this time" the teen smirked casually.

"You're not fooling anyone" Roy raised a hand, ready to aim. "We all know you can't even use most of that"

Risa and Havoc took the conversation as an opportunity to move to a safer distance, shoving their way past the tightly packed people. As the Colonel prepared to fire, he was unprepared for the bullet that skimmed his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, he could see a small gash in the navy fabric.

"Actually" the teen corrected as the bullet dropped to the floor, "I've had plenty of practise. It would be a shame to put it to wast-"

Edward dodged aside, feeling warmth skim his shoulder as a blast of flames flared past him. Regaining his balance, the blonde could see a smug smile etched across the man's features.

Jean turned to Risa, "I have a feeling it's going to be a close one this time. Who's your money on?"

"The Colonel has much more experience" the woman replied, without removing her gaze from the unfolding battle. "Edward is..."

"Just a kid?" "I'm not sure I can agree with you on that. Those flames look like feathers to him... He's tougher than you think"

The teen avoided the sharp bursts of flames, bending in all sorts of awkward positions to avoid being cremated. He grit his teeth in frustration. If that bastard didn't have gloves on, he'd be a normal powerless being. He puffed tiredly.

"What's wrong FullMetal? Can't keep up?"

"Shut up!" the blonde snapped, pulling a knife from his waist band and diving for his target. Needless to say, another flame glided towards him, as violent and powerless as the ones before it.

"You know what Colonel? I think you're scared underneath that mask of yours"

"Scared?" Roy laughed, "Of what?"

"That I'll get too close!"

Ed swung his blade fiercely, ignoring the warmth blasting towards him. The Colonel took a sharp step back, narrowly avoiding an incision to the chest. A thin line dripped from his cheek. He brushed his gloved fingertips to the skin, frowning at the stained fabric. Just a scratch. He sighed, his obsidian gaze switching to Edward. The teen was trying to cease the flames knowing at his white dress shirt. The soft orange had already destroyed an entire right sleeve, revealing an unmistakable glint of silver. Ripping the shirt from his torso, Ed glared menacingly.

"That, was a very expensive shirt"

"My apologies, I'd be happy to buy you another from your research budget"

"That was from France. And now..." his grip tightened, the metal began to bend under the strain. "You're going to pay!"

The Colonel raised his fingers to snap. Before they couch touch, a feisty looking Edward sliced the crimson circle marking his gloves, grinning triumphantly. Roy reached for another pair, only to be stopped by the teen, who held the sharp blade to his throat.

"Fight me like a real man" he growled, "Or is that cheap party trick all you can do?"

The Colonel looked down to the cool silver pressed to his throat, and reached up to pry Ed's fingers from it, metal dropping to the floor. He rolled up his sleeves.

Edward was certainly no longer a child. Anyone could see that by looking at his toned chest and the muscles gracing his frame. Scars marked the pale flesh, some in the most awkward of places. One that stood out most was not near the automail. It was a rough looking graze running down the inside of his arm, stopping just before the elbow.

"That, was shrapnel" the blonde followed Roy's gaze, "The others are just grazes" he grimaced. The teen could never forget the feeling of bullets clipping his chest and back, the wet running across his skin. "Not that someone like you would understand..."

"Someone like me?"

"Watching the others do your dirty work for a promotion! You don't know the meaning of getting your hands dirty" Edward finished with a swift blow to the cheek. Roy grimaced as the metal fingers came in contact with his skin. He nursed his cheek, glaring.

"You better pray that doesn't bruise" he spat, throwing a punch in Ed's direction. The blonde managed to avoid a facelift by dodging skilfully. The fist grazed his cheek lightly. The Colonel growled with frustration, throwing his fist back towards Ed. The teen remained still, without a single flinch he caught the hand in his metal one, clamping tightly. Roy tried to pry the fingers from his wrist, only to find the grip get tighter.

"Just what are you trying to pull? You've succeeded in humiliating me. You could have finished this minutes ago with just a clap!"

"I assure you Colonel, I'm not trying to pull anything. I was asked for a performance, and I won't fail to disappoint"

**I'm no good at writing fight scenes; you'll have to forgive me!**

**But I hope it was readable : )**


	8. Just For Show

**The rest of Ed's assessment to put you all out of your misery : )**

**Enjoy : D**

"I didn't think you'd go this far to make a fool out of me" Roy dodged the blonde's fist tiredly, narrowly avoiding another bruise. His reactions were beginning to slow, and he was sure Ed had already picked up on this. His subordinate appeared to be as lively as ever, smirking as the Colonel nursed a stitch in his side.

"I assure you Colonel, the only person making a fool out of you is yourself"

The battle had long surpassed an hour. Ed could still remember the last time he'd set foot on the same pitch, and to that day he still wondered why he had been stupid enough to challenge Roy Mustang, off all people. He definitely came to the conclusion he'd had way to much confidence as a kid, and many times he'd paid the price for it. Edward was determined to win fairly this time, without having to rely on a distracted Colonel for victory. There was no way he was winning by accident. Not this time.

Roy narrowly avoided another punch as a metal fist skimmed his cheek. He was running out on energy, and options. He could either surrender and let the feisty teenager win victoriously, or summon his remaining strength and hope it's enough to make some kind of impact on the blonde.

Ed frowned as his mellow streaks of gold began to cling to his face and neck. He'd given up on taming his hair a long time ago; it always seemed to have a life of its own. He smiled as Roy began to slow. As time went on, the man's movement became more and more sluggish. Unluckily for the Colonel, Ed wasn't tired. He was just getting started.

"You've improved" Roy puffed, stepping backwards to avoid a kick in the shin.

"If only I could say the same to you, _Colonel_" the blonde grinned, "You shouldn't always rely on alchemy, there'll come a time when-" a ball of flames skimmed his cheek. The teen growled as his gaze cast on a familiar pair of looking gloves. "What do you think you're doing?"

"This has gone on long enough. It's about time we finished don't you think?"

"FINISH? I'm just getting warmed up!"

"That's the problem..." Roy cursed quietly, clicking his fingers productively.

The heat was beginning to irritate Edward, and his automail wasn't helping. Heat made his ports ache, and wonderfully improved his mood... A dull throb clawed at his shoulder as another flame clipped his right arm. The blonde bit down hard on his lip as the sensitive area began to twinge; he clasped a hand over the join between metal and skin, ignoring the sting in his flesh hand from the heat.

"There's something you're not telling me" Roy paced in a circle around Ed, talking casually, "You haven't clapped your hands once since you got back"

"What's it to you!"

"It's not like you. There was a time went you couldn't stop transmuting things. Your head was always buried in an alchemy book"

"People change. I got Al's body back. I don't need to rely on alchemy anymore..." his grip tightened, ports aching from the strain. "I should have stopped using it a long time ago. Unfortunately I was too blind to realise. It took another trip to the gate for it to finally sink in"

"Are you going to tell me why? Or will I have to force it out of you?" Roy stopped dead in his tracks, stopping behind the teen who was nursing a minor burn.

"It doesn't matter why. You'd think I was being stupid if I told you, it's not worth the embarrassment."

"Try me." The blond replied with a long silence. "Look Edward, I know we don't exactly see eye to eye, but I'm always here if you want to talk"

"I think you're getting soft in your old age" Ed laughed, ignoring the glares coming from his superior. "If you insist, but I did warn you..." "The first time I went to the other side, he tried to tell me, but I wasn't really listening, too busy panicking..."

"He?"

"Dad..." he muttered. The word rolled off his tongue uncomfortably. It was a term he rarely used. Edward would never get used to calling Hohenheim his father. He didn't think the man was worthy of that title.

"When things started to happen... it began to sink in... the tragedies in the other world fuel transmutations here." As the blonde expected, Roy was lost for words. The Colonel thought hard as he processed the information.

"Do the tragedies here fuel the other side?"

"There is no alchemy on the other side. I haven't clapped my hands for two years... The last time was when I brought back Al" the teen dropped his flesh hand to his side, clenching his metal fist tightly. "I vowed I'd never use it again unless I had to.... I'd never forgive myself!" Ed turned to Roy. "Every clap, every circle, someone I knew could be... it's... its better this way..."

"You've grown up more than I expected..." Roy smirked, "What happened to the short tempered shrimp I used to know?"

"Shut it you-" before the blonde could continue, chants from the crowd stopped him in his tracks. "What crawled up their ass and died?

"I think they were expecting a little more bloodshed and less conversation" Roy raised his and hand are prepared to click. "It's about time we finished this... FullMetal"

The blonde flicked his loose hair over one shoulder and braced himself for the Colonels next move. His eyes focused on the man's hands. The impatient chattering ceased and the crowd of military dogs averted their attention back to the two well known figures standing opposite each other. Roy moved to click, but before his gloved fingers could touch, he found his arm twisted and pinned behind his back. A familiar mocking voice gloated in his ear.

"Looks like these gloves of yours are just for show, Colonel"

"C'mon Breda, hand it over!" Jean grinned triumphantly at his winnings, taking the small wad of notes from Breda before he could protest. "I owe you one chief!" he slapped the teen on the back happily and left Edward to recharge on the office couch.

Ed tugged at the towel around his neck, dropping it in the empty seat beside him. The cool leather felt heavenly against his flushed skin, and his recent victory made the teen smile even more. Oh it was good to be alive. 'Surprisingly' enough, Roy still hadn't made it back to the office, undoubtedly to avoid mockery from the blonde. He made a note to annoy the man extra when he decided to make an appearance, to make up for his long absence.

Ed craned his neck lazily to the clock. He groaned. There were many hours left before he would be free to leave. He decided to make a plan, a very rough one at that. He would simply rot on to Colonels sofa until he was discovered. When the time came, the he would worry about having to work.

He closed his eyes and listened to the soft ticking of the clock, and the purr of the air conditioning. The teen was slowly drifting to sleep when the door clicked open, colliding noisily with the wall. Ed didn't batter an eyelid. There was only person he knew that was so rude. The person in question dragged their feet lazily across the worn wooden floor boards, before collapsing into the large leather chair behind the desk.

"I had no idea my office had become a crèche" the teen chose to ignore the comment and continued to enjoy the cool leather nursing his skin. After all, he was asleep. Right?

"FullMetal?"

"EDWARD!"

"WHAT?" Ed closed his eyes tighter, hoping the man would get the message and leave him be.

"Do you plan on lying there all day?"

"Of course" the blonde answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't think so" Roy threw a biro in the teen's direction, which landed neatly in his lap. "Come here"

Ed groaned, peeling himself from the couch.

"I need you to sign here, here and here" a gloved finger pointed demandingly.

"Why?"

"Just do it Edward"

"Whatever..." Ed scrawled his name lazily, making it slightly legible. Whoever dared complain about his writing, hand obviously never tried to hold a pen with metal fingers. "Can I go now?"

"To the library? Of course"

"I meant home"

"I think your mistaken FullMetal, I'm sure you were going to research those arrays for me"

"Really? That's funny, I don't reme-"

"Well you do now. I'll send someone to check on you later" the man muttered as his eyes scanned the page and sprawled a signature at the bottom.

The blonde could feel the urge to scream rising, but decided against it. He was working late enough as it was, without irritating the Colonel further. He flung his jacket over one shoulder and closed the door quietly behind him without uttering a single comment, much to Roy's surprise.

Edward's trip to the library was far from a trek. In fact, it was only a few doors down from Colonel Sarcasm's office. Unfortunately for Ed, it made him easy to track down; especially as it was a known fact he spent most of his life with his head in a book. The blonde pulled a wad of text books from the shelf he'd visited often, brimming with alchemy books.

He set them down on the table and made himself comfortable. After all, it could be hours until he finally peeled himself from his research. Without interruptions, it was certain Edward would work away until the early hours of the morning.

**Personally, I think this chapter was quite lame.**

**Sorry! I had exams this week.**

**I'll make up for it next time : )**


	9. Annotations

**Sorry its late : )**

**A little Roy bashing, DONT BITE MY HEAD OFF! Please... :3**

"Chief?"

Edward groaned, burying himself deeper into his arms that were folded on the table.

"Chief." a hand shook him gently by the shoulder, rocking his head as it moved. He furrowed his brows and cracked open an eye, glaring at Jean Havoc who stood towering over him.

"What..." the blonde yawned, squinting as his golden orbs adjusted to the light, or lack of it.

"Time to go Chief"

"Go?" the teen eyed the library clock that was bathed in the faint glow of the lamp light leaking from the small window. The lamps could be seen lighting the dark pathways outside the path that lead to freedom. There was a car waiting. A familiar black military vehicle.

"You better hurry. The Colonel isn't in the best of moods tonight..." Jean yawned, rubbing his temples tiredly.

"Aren't we all..." Ed peeled himself from the table and the pile of open text books littering its surface. Sheets of lined paper were scattered messily, rushed notes sprawled across the pages. Edward began to gather them together, stacking the books and pages neatly in order, carefully ordering them.

"Ed?"

"I spent ten hours in here. I'm not messing anything up" he replied, gathering the thick pile in his arms. He sighed. "Let's just get this over with"

"Mind telling me why you dragged me out here at one in the morning?" Ed rubbed his eyes tiredly, far too exhausted to make any form of cocky remark. His blonde hair was loose, hanging limply over his shoulders. He never did find that band...

The Colonel emerged from inside the warehouse, his dark raven hair blending with the black shadows. His thick military boots dragged across the concrete floor, the sound echoed from the walls. The steps ceased. Ed found the strength to smirk. His superior was glaring through half lidded eyes, which appeared to be sunken into the back of his skull. The navy uniform was roughly assembled, several buttons in the wrong places, the white collar sticking at a slight angle. The dark hair Roy was always so fond of was tousled in all directions, flattened on one side.

Of course it wasn't exactly a walk in the park for the young alchemist being deprived or even more sleep, but seeing the man in such a reckless state made each passing second more and more worthwhile.

"Wipe that smirk off your face FullMetal"

"Did anyone tell you how dashing you look tonight?"

The man glared daggers, and raised a gloved hand, gesturing the wall behind him. "Take a look. There's nothing more I can do. I'm not an expert in cases like this. That's why I called you."

The blonde rolled his eyes at the Colonels pitiful attempt at a slight 'complement'. Roy could have been nicer if he wanted too. Ed was certain of it. The man had no problems dropping complements to potential dates around central. But his subordinates? His pride wouldn't allow him to.

The teen hesitantly disappeared into the blackness. He was going to get this over with quickly. There was still enough time to catch up on a few hours of sleep before starting work. Squinting, he tried to adjust his eyes to the nonexistent light, carefully treading to avoid any trips or falls.

"Could you give me some light?"

There was a small flicker of light. The flame grew brighter, as did the sound of clanking boots being hauled across the floor. Both stopped behind the blonde.

"What do you think?" a voice loomed over his shoulder. Usually, Ed would have scolded the man for being rude, sparking a petty fight regardless of the time or place. Tonight however, was different. His mind buzzed with thoughts, his golden orbs scanned the neatly drawn array etched into the floor. His eyes lingered on every detail, following the intricate lines and curves linking together like a puzzle piece.

"Whoever did this, certainly knew their stuff..." Ed replied, "And certainly had a lot of time on their hands..."

The concrete was marked simply with white chalk. Ed wondered why the suspect hadn't destroyed the evidence. They could have simply rubbed it out, unless they wanted it to be found.... There was a large smudge in the centre. The blonde was sure somethi- someone had been placed there. Whoever it was had managed to leave unscathed. A trail of faint prints disappeared into the darkness, vanishing into the unlit doorway.

"Well?" a voice snapped tiredly, and rather impatiently. The man hadn't meant for it to sound that way, but was far too exhausted to apologise. He really was in no such mood.

"Well for a start, if you want any help from me, I suggest you don't speak to me that way and let me think in peace. If I'm right..." Edward took the photographs from his pocket, lining them up in order and comparing each carefully.

"The first few were identical, but as time goes on, they change" Roy gave him a look of confusion, urging the teen to continue. "You see this line here?" A gloved finger traced the line carefully. "It starts to curve more and more in each picture"

"And this means?" Ed sighed.

"Didn't you study anything other than your own alchemy? The arrays might look the same, but they're not. Even the slightest change can have a huge impact on the result." He placed the picture back into his pocket and took another look down to the array at his feet. "They might be a bit of an expert, but by the look of things, its taking a while for them to perfect it. It means we still have time before they can do any real damage."

"This is all very interesting FullMetal, but do you know what it is?"

"A rough idea..." Ed walked over to the door, his face masked by a shadow. He looked out to the awaiting car down the far end of the street, his back to the Colonel. "Is that all?"

"You are dismissed. Be sure you're not late tomorrow. Make sure you sleep. You're useless to me if you can't function"

"I never knew you cared" the blonde smiled. Perhaps Roy did worry about him sometimes, even if it was just slightly. Maybe he wasn't such a bastard after all. Without a single look back, Ed's footsteps grew fainter and fainter as he disappeared down the abandoned street, his long hair flowing in the gentle breeze behind him.

"Something wrong Ed?"

Ed looked over to Jean, who was sat comfortably behind his small desk, feet propped up on the wood as his eyes scanned a small handful of documents. "You've been spacing out like that since you came in"

"I... I've seen it before..." he trailed off, gaze shifting back to the pile of scattered documents. Several annotated copies of the photographed arrays lay neatly side by side amongst the mess. "I just can't put my finger on it..." the blonde reached out for another text book without shifting his gaze.

"I'm sorry Colonel, but I can't let you through. You're not leaving this room until lunch." Risa said sternly, blocking Roy's exit from his enclosed office. "You'll only disrupt him."

"Hawkeye, I have to-"

"Stay put! He's been working hard for the past few days, you're moaning and complaining isn't going to help him. Now..." a hand hovered over the holster at her hip. "Don't you have work to be getting on with? I have another pile still to come..."

The Colonel returned to his delightful paperwork, muttering curses under his breath like a school child. Risa smiled triumphantly as the sound of pen gliding angrily across paper filled her ears like music... Perhaps she should have.... heard him out. Looking back at the large pile of paper covering his desk, she quickly dismissed the thought. Perhaps not.

Edward sighed with frustration, groaning loudly as his head collided with the table. He closed his eyes tiredly, ignoring the irritating feeling of paper clinging to his cheek. He wondered. Was it worth getting so worked up over this? It could be nothing. If he got to the end of the matter and discovered it wasn't any threat at all, Ed was going to be angry, more than angry. But he couldn't risk it. The chances were, it was something much deeper. Much deeper than anything he had ever encountered before. He wasn't going to risk the safety of others. The teen vowed he would stay up several nights if he had too. Ed wasn't sleeping until he found a leed.

Edward began to think hard, scanning his memory for any passage he might have read before. The blonde had visited many libraries in his lifetime. It wasn't easy to single out a page as he wished; it took a lot of time. Opening his eyes, he looked again. The curving lines.... the neat triangle etched in the centre...

Bingo.

**Sorry again about the wait. Thanks you for reading reviewing and subscribing : )**

**I think I finally know where this story is going now : D**

**See you next chappy.**


	10. Social' Visits

**Another chapter! Thank you to PaperBagGhost for the door idea :D**

**I hope you like it :)**

Hurried footsteps ground to a halt. The blonde looked from one side to the other, golden orbs scanning every crevasse and corner. He took a final glance around the empty street and proceeded to walk, positive he hadn't been seen or followed.

Edward was used to sneaking around. After years of serving the state it was a skill he'd been rather forced to develop. He'd learnt that sometimes, his usual hands on approach didn't always work, and he had the scars to prove it. Ed felt a slight twinge of nerves. If he got caught, there would undoubtedly be consequences, ranging from being dishonourably discharged to facing the angry wrath of Roy Mustang. Ed knew which one he'd rather prefer, no doubt about it. He always looked forward to a healthy discussion with his superior.

The teen's eyes darted nervously, attention shifting from one thing to another. '_This is stupid!_' he scolded himself. Why would someone follow him anyway? He was off duty for a start. He smiled at his paranoia. Perhaps the mental trauma he'd managed to escape as a child had finally caught up with him. A rustling sound made the blonde flinch, his head turned to the source of the sound, looking up into the branches of a tree. He stopped.

"Don't look at me like that" Ed glared at the raven perched on the lowest branch, its head twitched from one side to the other as he spoke, as if it were trying to process the conversation. "Go bug someone else! And quit looking at me like that!" the teen continued to walk, ignoring the thoughts of the Colonel the bird had managed to trigger. As much as Edward hated to admit, he did feel slightly bad for not informing Roy, no matter how rude or arrogant the man could be.

Approaching the end of the street, he began to think. If something happened... no one would be able to find him. No. Everything was going to run smoothly! He interrupted the thoughts running through his wild imagination. He quickly erased the worst case scenarios from his head, raising a fist to the door, he took a deep breath.

This was something he needed to do. Without it, there was no moving forward. No leads, solutions, and unfortunately, no end to the problem.

"There's no reason why you should trust me, but I promise I'm not here with the military. I'm off duty now"

A hooded figure began to emerge from a dark corner, slowly leaving the comfort of the black masking shadows. The blonde remained as composed as ever, ignoring the thumping of his chest. He had no reason to be scared. If only his body would be more co-operative.

The steps ceased. The hooded creature glared through his spectacles, trying effortlessly to cover the limbs protruding from his clothes.

"_You've certainly grown since we last saw each other... Nina would be so proud... Edward._"

The familiar whispers made the blonde fume with anger. It was tempting to let his emotions boil over, but Ed knew he would have to ignore them for now, no matter how hard it would be. He could deal with Tucker later.

"If you hadn't guessed already, I'm not here for a social visit" the teen spat through his teeth, clenching his gloved fists tightly. It would only take a slight slip of his temper, and Ed wouldn't hesitate to kill the man. He'd already come close to doing it before. Without the interruption from Alphonse this time, it would be a walk in the park. The blonde never inflicted damage on anyone unless he had to, but Shou Tucker was an exception.

Ed didn't need to ask for anything. Without a single glance at the chimera that was peering through its thick specs, he made his way to the small library. It had been several years since the teen had stepped foot in this hell hole, but he could clearly remember everything. Especially the source he needed most. Revenge could wait. There was something he had to do first.

"_Is there something you need?_" each word made Ed grimace, clenching his fist tighter and tighter, ignoring the steps coming from behind.

"A book" he said simply, opening the door with a weak kick. He approached the first bookcase, gold orbs scanning each spine of every text book. The words didn't matter. It was colour. That hideous lime green that matched its contents, etched into his memory, something he couldn't forget. Ed could still remember reading it, the sickening feeling as he shoved it back into its slot on the shelve. There were some things he would never understand. Why anyone would want such a power was beyond him.

Power. Edward thought it shouldn't be dispatched to people artificially, he had seen the affects of it. Back In Germany, he'd seen a man who abused his authority, wasting it recklessly on war. Every tank, each gun and bullet, was the result of a grown man acting like a spoilt child. It angered the blonde beyond words. There was nothing he could have done. The small actions of a single person would never have had the desired effect. It seemed sadly that the Fuhrer of the other world felt he could only express himself through chaos and destruction.

Casting thoughts aside, Ed's eyes paused, casting back through the row he had just seen. There was one book that had almost escaped his eye. A gloved hand reached out for the leather book, quickly scanning through the pages. Edward smiled triumphantly. This was it. Human Modification.

"_Mr Elric, it would be in your best interest to lay still!"_

"_STILL?!" the blonde thrashed at the medics grip, shouting loudly over the ear splitting bangs and screams coming from around him. "HOW CAN I LAY STILL? WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE FIELD AND HALF MY LEGS MISSING!!" _

_After trying hard to pry the man's hands from his shoulders, Ed gave into the pain and exhaustion. He was pale, unnaturally pale. The colour was completely drained from his skin. He didn't resemble a healthy teenager anymore; he looked more like an old man. His gold eyes were sunk into his skull, every inch of skin and bone appeared more fragile than usual._

"_What now?" Ed asked nervously, glancing around at the unfolding scene around him through half lidded eyes._

"_It's too dangerous to move" the young medic said, nursing the ringing in his ears, "We wait it out"_

"_WAIT IT OUT? HOW LONGS THAT GOING TO TAKE? HOURS?" the blonde sat up, pulling the man's collar angrily, "I COULD BE DEAD BY THEN!" he yelled, ducking as a bullet grazed his ear. "You're wasting time! Go help someone else!"_

"_But-"_

"_GO!" Ed used his remaining strength to throw the man aside, saving himself from a piece of stray shrapnel. The medic clung to his case and dragged it recklessly across the thick mounds of mud without looking back, ducking as bullets skimmed his limbs._

_Ed watched as his only chance of survival disappeared from view. The smoke fogged his vision, the strong smell of blood and burning lingered in his nostrils. As the stench continued to linger, the blonde came to realise. This could be it, couldn't it? Not that it made any difference. Everyone back in central probably assumed he was dead anyway. In his short life so far he'd come close to death many times, could this be- NO! He scolded the negative thoughts drifting through his mind, blaming the smoke for making him delirious._

_He wasn't going anywhere. Not now. He refused._

_Digging his fingers into the earth, Ed made a bleak effort to drag himself from the reckless battle, as far as he could manage. Clenching his teeth, the feeling of cold metal pressed to his temple._

"_I wouldn't bother" he whispered, knowing the man couldn't hear him anyway, "I'm already finished"_

_The teen closed his eyes, taking a deep breath...._

BANG. The blonde sprang from the mattress instantly. His heart throbbed against his ribs painfully, the thick strands of honey hair clung to his neck and back.

There was another bang. A knock at the door. Edward stumbled angrily through the dark, throwing open the door bare-chested, a pair of black pants and slacks covering his legs and feet.

"YOU CHOOSE YOUR MOMENTS!" he yelled to his superior, "I've barely slept for the past week, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?"

The Colonel looked on silently. It was clear the blonde was slightly irritated about being disrupted... again. His hair was mussed beyond control, and dark circles hung under his eyes. Roy made a mental note to give the teen a break over the next few days; otherwise, Ed would certainly have a breakdown. The man sheepishly handed the blonde a new photograph, pushing Jean into the doorway as a shield. Roy Mustang was in no mood to face the wrath of an angry Edward. Not tonight.

"I suppose you better come in..." Ed yawned, showing Jean and Roy to the sitting room. He winced as the bright light burned through his eyelids.

The trio settled into their seats, looking again at the same familiar pictures. Havoc could see Edward was absent from the conversation, he wasn't paying any attention. His usual focused gold orbs were drifting.... The blonde groaned, catching dribs and drabs of the conversation.

"_But it could mean.... We'd have to.... So what do you think?.....FullMetal?........Ed?......_**EDWARD!**"

Ed jumped at Roy's sudden change in tone, knocking a small pile of books from the armrest; He clutched his chest, glaring daggers.

"Do you mind? I'm a little jumpy tonight...." he reached for the books, peeling them from the floor and holding them in his flesh hand.

"Anything knew?"

"Actually, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised" the teen threw the textbook into the man's lap, smiling triumphantly. He knew Roy hadn't expected him to get a lead so quickly. Usually, it would take at least a week to find anything useful.

"Human.... Modification?" Roy scanned through the texts and diagrams, "I thought that was a myth, no one's ever been able to-" he paused. His dark eyes focused on a single stamp. This was no ordinary library book. It had to be specially approved. Not just anyone could gain access to it. The ink was faint, but clear. 'Sewing life alchemist'

**It updated on time! *claps***

**Thank you for reading so far :) It means a lot to me that you all spent time reading this.**

**See you next chapter : )**


	11. Without A Leash

**I started this a bit later than usual because the update didn't appear in everyone's inbox. I was naughty and gave myself some days off when I should have been writing. Sorry!**

"That might be true, but whoever's doing this could be the first to succeed"

Jean looked on silently. Talk of alchemy meant nothing to him. He couldn't understand why Roy had insisted on making him tag along anyway. This was the awkward time when he would usually be smoking, toying with a cigarette between his fingers while the alchemists talked. He tried to focus on the conversation at hand, ignoring the throbbing sensation in his head.

"Edward, where did you find this book?"

"The library" the teen replied, as if the answer was painfully obvious.

"Don't lie to me FullMetal! Why do you always insist in never telling me first?! Anything could've happened to you!"

"I-"

"I thought you knew better than to go looking for help from the like of him, If I would've known, I-"

"Never have let me go. That's why I didn't tell you first! Does it matter? I came back in one piece and we have a lead, so quit being pissy!"

Havoc looked back and forth between the quarrelling alchemists, his already present headache beginning to grow stronger. He coughed, effectively silencing them both.

"Can you save this for tomorrow? I'd like to get this over with..." he yawned, rubbing his temples tiredly.

"Now" the blonde glared to his superior, "As I was saying... Human Modification. A process that enables a person to modify themselves or another living being at will" Roy followed the passage the teen was reciting from the text book, impressed that a tired Ed had managed to memorise several passages. "However, extreme changes to the genetic material is said to prevent the person from being maximised to full potential, resulting in rejection. There have been no successful recording of- blah blah blah" Ed yawned, closing his eyes and leaning back in the chair, grimacing at the click in his shoulder blades.

"Whether we go after this person or not is debateable. If we leave them be they'll eventually die anyway"

"It's not worth the risk. In the next few days we will launch a thorough investigation" the Colonel stood, signalling for Havoc to do the same. He paused in the doorway and spoke, without looking back at the blonde who was beginning to look relieved at his departure.

"Oh, and FullMetal? My office at 7:00 Am prompt. I believe we need a discussion about a certain book of yours" he smiled, hearing a growl coming from the figure on the couch. "I'll show myself out shall I?"

The irritating ringing grated through his ear drums. Wincing, he held the receiver to his ear groggily.

"Hello?"

"Hey Al, it's not too late is it?"

"It's never too late in the evening to hear from you brother" the younger Elric smiled, raking a hand through his tousled hair. "Something on your mind? It's unusual for you to call this late"

"No, I- I just wanted someone to talk to" Ed replied honestly, leaning back against the headboard of the bed, gazing out of the open window to the velvet midnight sky.

"You mean you wanted someone to talk to about the Colonel?" Al grinned, hearing his brother huff childishly in response.

"Don't get me started on that bastard, or I'll be on line all night"

"I see your fitting in nicely" Al laughed, "Some things never change"

"And never will either. If I ever start to get along with that man, shoot me."

"Brother!"

"Or him, I'm not fussy."

"Don't say things like that, not when I can't keep an eye on you"

Edward sighed, dousing his pallet with a mouthful f whiskey, grimacing at the burning sensation in his throat. It was a vile drink admittedly, but it was enough to stop him from drifting off to sleep... for now.

"He never changes!" the blonde slammed the glass onto the bedside table a little louder than he intended to, producing a clinking noise as the glass collided with the polished wood. "I've tried to get along with him, but its crystal clear he has no intentions of making it easy for me" Ed brushed the loose strands of honey hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear with a metal hand. He growled, "He always manages to piss me off, even when he's not here!" the blonde rubbed his temples tiredly, certain he was going to be in a wonderful mood in the morning.

"Have you told the Colonel this?"

"Of course not!" Ed exclaimed, making Al wince and pull the receiver away from his ear. "People think I'm a soft kid as it is, I don't fancy ruining my reputation any further, if that's even possible"

For the next few minutes, the Elric's had a long discussion about the book from Tuckers library. Ed was trying his best to keep up with the escalating conversation, struggling to summon the complex words and phrases from his tired mind. In all truth, he didn't need Al's help at all. He needed someone to talk to. Someone who didn't work at the office. Ed being Ed, he couldn't simply call his brother and have a relatively normal conversation. He always managed to find some sort of excuse, positive the younger Elric had picked up on this by now, but chose not to say anything.

Edward had been eager to speak to Al for a while now. He was back with the adults, the black sheep of the flock. Being the youngest wasn't easy, and it was hard to make people take him seriously. Most of the team were old enough to be his parents, accept Havoc, who fit in just as well as he did. They were like school children, always finding Roy's response to their antics more and more amusing by the hour. Ed knew as much as the man refused to admit, Roy was defiantly the father figure. Ed assumed so anyway. He wasn't exactly an expert in that category. The blonde hadn't really gotten to know his father as well as he'd hoped. Just as they had started to get along, the teen had been summoned to the battle field. He smiled sadly. Luck never seemed to be on his side...

"Sounds like your having a whale of a time" Al laughed when his brother had finally finished slating his most recent mission, and his superior.

"Don't laugh at my misfortune" Ed grumbled, "Or I'll transmute you in a blimp"

"A what?"

"Never mind..." he yawned, raking a hand lazily through his hair. "I better go, Mustang will kill me if I fall asleep at work" he sighed, "I miss the old days. No office, no paperwork, and no bastard..."

"Despite the fact you've been slating him for almost two hours, I think I'll assume you actually like the man" the young Elric grinned, ignoring the growl coming from the receiver.

"Tell Win and the old lady I said hi" Ed smiled, "Night Al" the blonde lazily slammed down the phone, leaving his arm hanging off the edge of the mattress, skimming the floor. His peered through half lidded eyes, the crimson numbers on the clock flickered and danced before his pupils. He squinted. 1:30 Am. Either the alcohol was keeping him more awake than usual, or the teen's body clock had been permanently damaged after so many nights of late reading. He had the Colonel to blame for that.

Judging by the progression of his latest assignment, it would be several weeks before things calmed down again. Ed wondered if he'd ever grow used to a peaceful lifestyle. Sure it was nice to sit in a warm office once in a while, but the blonde had grown accustomed to freedom, living life without being held back on a leash. Before he knew it, Edward was peacefully slipping into a deep slumber, from which not even a war could wake him.

"Looking good FullMetal" the raven haired man smirked from behind the comfort of his broad desk, "Tell me, how long did it take to peel yourself from the mattress this morning?"

There was an effortless growl from the doorway, a scruffy looking teenager dragged his boots across the floor, and they felt heavier than usual. The team winced at the very sight of him. The blonde's hair hung limply in his face, a piercing glare emitted from a pair of dark, half lidded eyes. His clothing however, was impeccable as always. No matter how exhausted Ed was, he always made sure he was dressed in a decent shirt and coat. He never envied not wearing traditional military uniform. The navy burned his eyes.

Ed collapsed into the familiar leather couch he was rather fond of, clamping his eyes shut to block out the artificial light blazing down from the ceiling.

"Do you have your report?"

"Does it look like it?" the teen muttered tiredly, furrowing his brows in frustration. Damn light...

"Sir?" Risa looked up from her papers, "May I suggest we let Major Elric-"

"Rest? I don't see why I should allow him the privilege. I'm not responsible for what hour FullMetal chooses to sleep lieutenant Hawkeye. If he can't choose a suitable hour to rest, I suggest we let him learn the hard way"

"Bastard..."

"Welcome to the real world Edward. If everyone stopped for a rest the world would come to a standstill"

"Well..." Jean called from the hallway, "Don't say we didn't warn you. Can't blame the kid if he doesn't-"

"Don't you have work to be doing? Both of you?" Roy interrupted, knowing full well Risa was right. He didn't like being wrong, and everyone had certainly noticed. He certainly wasn't going to accept the fact with open arms.

The Colonel shifted his gaze from the dull pile of paperwork to the zoned out teen sprawled across the couch, chest rising and falling peacefully. Memories of the previous night began to set in. It had been Roy that interrupted the teen after all. Seeing the young man in such a state bought a pang of guilt to his heart. Perhaps he could allow Ed to-

"Colonel Mustang Sir!"

Perhaps not. Breda saluted quickly as he ground to a haul, making Ed shift grumpily at the sudden change in noise level. "Pardon the interruption Sir, but your presence is requested on the east wing on central. The Fuhrer would like yourself and the team to investigate the breech in security. The criminal could still be in the grounds Sir." Breda began to catch his breath, nursing a stitch in his side.

Sighing, Roy rose from his seat, pulling on his trademark white gloves as he walked over to the couch.

"You hard the man Edward" he smirked, "We can't keep the Fuhrer waiting. That wouldn't be very professional now, would it?" the blondes golden eyes snapped open instantly, anger radiating from his pupils.

"I'll show you professional" he grit his teeth tightly, knuckles turning white beneath his gloves. For the first time in a while, Roy Mustang felt genuinely sorry for anyone who managed to piss of the blonde today, he truly did. He sure wasn't going to make the same mistake....

**Things are finally going to start kicking off, thanks for reading this far :)**


	12. Strolling In The Dark

**The action is finally starting to kick in, and there's a little bad language in this one. Enjoy : )**

"Well?"

"Well what?" the Colonel locked eyes briefly with the irritated blonde alchemist standing beside him. He could almost feel Ed's gaze burn into him angrily. The teens gold eyes were narrowed; his hair hung limply and obscured his vision.

"What do you mean 'What?'! What are we still doing here?" Ed snapped tiredly, looking down at yet another freshly chalked array on the pavement. He ran a gloved hand through his hair, breathing deeply through his nose in a useless attempt to curb his flaring temper. "Why are we looking at some crappy chalk drawing when there could be a maniac in headquarters?!"

Roy knew the teen was right. They were wasting what could be valuable time. But was he going to admit that to the blonde? Of course not. His stubborn pride wouldn't allow him to.

"The reason we are here FullMetal, is because the Fuhrer ordered us to-"

"Fuck orders!" Ed turned on his heel and began to walk from the scene, ducking under the tape cornering off the end of the street as he went. He had no idea where he was going, but anywhere had to be better than being a sitting duck. The teen stopped in his tracks, looking back at his superior with a powerful glare.

"I don't care if you come with me or not, but its better if we stick together. At least you'll have someone to peel you off the floor..." he smirked, ignoring the stare he received from Roy.

"Where are the others?" Ed called back over his shoulder, not bothering to check if the man was following him.

"Beats me" Roy followed in the teens footsteps, scuffing his feet on the rough pavement. "Should have been here an hour ago- Damn security." The raven haired alchemist sighed with irritation as he watched his subordinates quarrel with the guards at the main gate. Jean was on the verge of breakdown. For a moment, he'd considered ignoring duty and crawling into his lovely, inviting military provided bed. Sure it was hard and lumpy, but it had to be better than being dragged through the cold at god knows what time in the evening. He would defiantly prefer a rough night's sleep than arguing with a pair of morons, and Risa looked as if she was going to explode any minute. Havoc sure didn't want to be there when it happened.

"Look!" Hawkeye yelled ruthlessly, "We already told you! We-"

"That's quite enough" a familiar voice interrupted. Roy and Edward emerged from the black shadows. Ed yawned, dragging his boots across the damp turf, leaving tracks in his path. The two heavily armed men stepped aside without uttering a single word, knowing better than to argue with the Flame and FullMetal alchemist. Risa's lips curled into a relived smile.

"Thank you Sir" she said, bumping shoulders with one of the men as she began to approach her superior. Jean shook his head and followed Risa, lazily shoving his hands in his navy pockets. He stifled a yawn, grimacing as his back and shoulder blades clicked in several different places.

"You look how I feel" he muttered to Ed, who was also trying hard to pry open his eyelids.

"We better be having a holiday when this is over..." the teen replied glaring at Roy menacingly. The man remained silent, defiantly in no mood to face the wrath of an angry Edward, who had been gritting through his teeth at Roy's snide comments all evening. The blonde was like a bomb waiting to go off, and the Colonel certainly wasn't going to interfere.

"What now?" Havoc asked tiredly, rubbing the back of his aching neck.

"We wait." The Colonel replied, entering the dark corridor of the office block without flicking the switch. The team squinted as their eye adjusted to the light, or rather lack of it.

"We wait?!" Ed curled his hand into a fist impatiently, "That's the plan?"

"Well FullMetal, if you have a better plan, please do feel free to share them"

"Well" the blonde began, "We simply-"

"No."

"I haven't finished yet!"

"No, because nothing you suggest Edward is ever simple" Roy rubbed his temples in frustration, wishing the teen would co-operate and make his job a lot easier. Was that likely to happen? Of course not. Frustrated teenagers didn't behave like angels, although a few times he swore he'd came close to meeting one. Roy had seen many bizarre things in his lifetime so far, and it just so happened that one of them was a very stroppy alchemist walking beside him. The teen's footsteps came to a stop. Roy craned his neck to speak, but was hushed by a curious looking Edward.

"FullMetal, what do you think you're-"

"Shut up!" Ed hissed, "Do you think it's a good idea to stroll into a military lab in the dark? When you have no idea what or who could be in there?!"

"You know what Edward... I'd say you're scared" the man smirked.

"Well excuse me for being cautious! You know what? Go ahead. If anything happens, I have no sympathy for idiots like you." The blonde folded his arms stubbornly, resorting once again to his deep breathing technique. As usual, it refused to work.

"You think the intruder could be in there?" Risa asked.

"They made the effort to break in without leaving any tracks or damage, somehow, I don't think there after paperwork" the teen rolled his eyes."

"I don't like your attitude FullMetal, you-"

"Guys?" Jean interrupted; "I think we have more important things to worry about now" he trailed off, locking his gaze with a pair of beady red eyes looking through the glass panel of the door. For a moment, all was silent. The red orbs glared lifelessly into Jeans, shifting its head from side to side as it examined him from head to toe.

"Nobody move" Risa muttered quietly under her breath, slowly moving her fingers to the gun tucked into her waist band.

A loud smash came from behind them. Risa pulled the trigger in surprise, shattering the window and revealing a pair of eyes looking through a mop of long tousled hair. At the far end of the corridor, something was getting closer. The glass crunched beneath its feet, sharp breaths of air wheezing through its airways heavily. The second creature began to move, the same ragged breathings piercing the nervous silence.

The door swung on its hinges, revealing a four legged brunette creature, long hair shadowing its facial features. Through the messy mop of hair, the team could see a pair of thin black lips curled back to reveal a large set of teeth. The gun began to quiver in Risa's hand. Nails sank into the palm of Havocs hand. Roy raised his fingers, preparing to snap. The creatures growled menacingly, heavy steps beginning to quicken. Ed couldn't keep up with both pairs of eyes as they inched closer and closer. The familiar feeling of adrenaline flooded through his veins, blood ringing through his ears. It had been a while since Ed had last felt his heart beat so vigorously against his ribs. The feeling in his flesh arm was already beginning to numb, not even the sharp digging of his nails into his palm could unglue him from the spot.

The blonde took a shallow breath through his nose; the cool air burned his airways. A growl emerged from behind, the heavy patter of claws against the floor echoed through the corridor. Risa could already feel the warm puffs of breath against the skin on the bare arms, sending a shiver down her spine. This was nothing, she tried to convince herself. Hawkeye had faced much more terrifying things in her life so far, so why couldn't she control the shaking pistol in her hand? Why did her limbs refuse to co-operate?

The creature stopped. The smaller of the two which had come from the lab cocked its head to one side, scanning Edward from head to toe. Its eyes paused over the metal bolts escaping from the comfort of the blonde's collar. It studied the metal like a foreign object, its pupils suddenly widened in recognition. It looked up at the teen triumphantly.

"_The... metal... one..._" words passed the thin black lips, each word dragged slowly.

"Chimeras..." Roy whispered, memory's of an unfortunate Nina and Alexander immediately came to mind. He knew the young blonde would be thinking the same. Undoubtedly, Chimeras were dangerous, a threat to society. It was and always would be hard to deal with them, especially when human words passed their lips.

The Chimera looked into the teens eyes, and suddenly, Ed was no longer looking at a monstrous, four legged creature. Instead, he saw a human. An innocent life that had been tampered with.

"You poor thing...." he bit his lip.

"_He... said...the...metal....one_" the second chimera snarled in response to its companion, looking Ed straight in the eyes.

"_Found....you...._"

The teen reached out for the quivering pistol in Risa's hand, gold orbs remaining fixed on the two brunettes approaching, close enough to do some damage.

"Risa... give me the gun" he managed to demand calmly, waiting for the cool metal to touch his gloved fingertips. Hawkeye was transfixed. She'd never seen a chimera before, nothing like this.... ever.

"Risa" the chimeras were close, almost inches from the teen. This wasn't like Nina. They looked stronger, bigger builds, bigger teeth, and the remaining human parts of their minds appeared to be absent. Without relying on his team mates, Ed could do nothing. He was unarmed, unprepared, and all he could do was hope both sets of teeth locked on his metal limbs, and not the flesh one. Warm breath skimmed his back.

"Dam it Risa!" Ed quickly snatched the pistol from his grasp, firing twice as he heaved his body aside, a loud thump as his prosthetics hit the floor. The chimeras glanced down at the bullet wounds marking their chests, watching the crimson blood tangle in the thick liquid. Their gazes lifted to the blonde. Edward raised himself with an arm sluggishly, nursing his back that had collided with the hard flooring. Before the creatures could step any closer, a bright burst of orange lit the dark corridor, they cried out as a sheet of flames clung to their coats.

"You took your time!" Ed spat at his superior, who looked rather smug after saving the blonde from loosing another limb. "I thought we were a team!!" He growled, getting to his feet. "This" Ed looked at the gun twirling through his metal fingers, "Is mine now". The blonde raised the pistol.

"Who did this to you?" he asked the limping figures peeling themselves from the floor.

"_Who...?_" one questioned the other, looking to its companion for an answer.

"_Who..._" a pair of red eyes locked with Ed's narrowed golden orbs.

"_The... other... one..._" "_Like....you...._"

**That was longer I hope :)**

**Thank you for reading, see you next chapter.**


	13. Kill Me First

**I was surprised at the number of story alerts I received last week, thank you!**

"Like...me?" the blonde could feel his spine shiver in response. For a moment, everything went quiet, much too quiet in Ed's opinion. The wheezing breaths of two chimeras were the only sounds to pass through his ear drums, a cool breeze escaped from the shattered door and windows, gold whips of loose hair clung to the teens sleep deprived features.

Roy winced at the sight of his youngest subordinate. The blonde that was usually hyped and full of life truly looked as if he'd just risen from the dead. Roy was no expert but he'd seen enough bodies in his life time to compare. Limp hair clung to his pale porcelain cheeks; a pair of sunken golden eyes looked deeply embedded in their sockets. Despite Edwards dishevelled appearance, he certainly was on the ball that night. His pupils were focused, darting at each nose or movement that echoed out in the dark hall.

"Who's... like me?" he managed to find the energy to speak, forcing the words to roll off of his tongue. The large chimera snarled, curling its black lips into a smile, revealing a dangerous looking set of white teeth.

"Him..." it growled menacingly, getting to its feet. Red orbs fixed on the young alchemist. It began to walk closer, heaving its injured body across the laminate flooring, leaving a bloody smear trailing behind it.

"HIM!" a snap left the chimera howling in pain, fresh burns scorched its tough skin. Peering through a thick mop of brunette hair, the red orbs trailed to Roy, who held his fingers in a clicking position, a trademark smirk plastered across his features. When both pairs of eyes locked and narrowed at the sight of the other, Roy prepared to douse the second chimera in flames, finding someone locking his fingers in a tight grip before the fabric could spark.

"Wait" Ed was looking at the whimpering creature beside its companion. When gold met red, it hid behind its long hair, cowering from the two alchemists. The blonde released Roy's hand dropping his metal fist to his side; the man cradled his sore fingers to his chest, glaring at Ed angrily.

"FullMetal, what is the meaning of this?"

Unfortunately for Roy, Edward wasn't listening. He was crouched beside the chimera, running a gloved hand soothingly through its hair. It tensed at the touch, looking up at the blonde pleadingly. As he began to run his flesh hand though the soft streaks of brown the creature began to relax, muscles loosing there stiffness, it leaned into the touch. Ed sighed at his sudden display of affection. If wasn't often he allowed his inner Al to take over, the stubborn look had always seemed more appealing, but right now, he couldn't help himself. Those watering eyes, the shaking shoulders.... he couldn't find the heart to hurt it. Jean and Risa smiled. This wasn't the Edward they saw on a regular basis. The teen that had always looked as hard as nails had a soft side after all. If only he used it more often...

It was a shame his superior had forgotten the fact that this creature was once a normal human, just like himself. He smiled; he was far from perfect, barley human at all in fact. Despite its inhuman appearance, Ed could feel a pang of sadness gnaw at his heart. This innocent collaboration of beings had been used as a delay to distract him. Whoever had made the thing... had certainly succeeded.

"Can you remember who did this to you?" he asked softly. The chimera shook its head, lowering it sadly. When the blonde stopped threading his fingers through its hair, a pair of wide crimson eyes looked up into his own, pleadingly.

"Fix... me...? Please...?" It was then, that Edward Elric, hero of the people began to feel his heart begin to break. The concrete wall of pride was crumbling, and all it took was one look into those innocent eyes.

"Fix..." there was a tug at his sleeve, a limp paw clawed at the fabric. The chimera began to quiver, its eyes lowered to the floor.

"I promise I'll fix you..." as the teen's voice began to break, he bit his lip in attempt to regain control of his emotions, looking away from the sobbing creature shaking under his touch.

"Stand back FullMetal"

"No"

"I'd hate for you to get caught in the blast. Now move aside-"

"I said no. Getting deaf in your old age old man?" Ed got to his feet, restraining himself from injuring his superior. Risa and Jean grit their teeth and prepared themselves for another verbal battle between the great Flame and FullMetal. They were big egos in the public's eyes, if only they knew what they were truly like, nothing like the rumours at all. As Risa thought hard, the word 'childish' came to mind. Not that the two alchemists would ever admit to it of course.

Roy was met with an angry looking teenager. He could almost see the steam flowing from his ears. Ed's golden orbs narrowed instantly.

"Move FullMetal"

"You'll have to kill me first"

"You forget your place" the man said bravely, despite the blonde's temper already being revved into overdrive. "We can't just pretend we never found it Edward, it tried to kill you"

"And I gave it a bullet. Equivalent exchange"

"I thought you didn't believe in that anymore?" the Colonel replied smoothly, raising his fingers to click. Ed looked from his superior to the shivering creature.

"If you do anything, I swear I'll never forgive you"

Ignoring Ed's words, Roy was seconds from igniting a flame. The blonde reached out to lock his fingers in a tight grip before the cloth could touch. As the teen clasped the gloved hand tightly in his metal palm, a loud series of shots pierced the silence, followed by a painful howl. The chimera suck to its knees, scared by several thick bullets.

"Him..." its beady eyes looked beyond the team and into the black doorway of the lab. The unmistakable shine of silver lowered steadily, a tall man stood amongst the shattered wood and glass, half of his face shadowed in darkness. His right eye gazed lifelessly at the scene before him, a deep scar etched across it, and a long trail of black hair pooled at his shoulders. A large prosthetic was clamped to his left shoulder, leaving the long sleeved shirt torn recklessly on one side. The remaining sleeve rolled to his elbow, revealing a muscular, scared arm.

His movement were sluggish and bold. The tall man dragged himself and his large arm through what was once a doorway, eye focused on the shaking chimera.

"Stupid animal" he snarled, "Can't even follow a simple order, you-"

"Don't move a muscle" a pistol clicked behind his ear, the cool metal pressed to the back of his neck.

"I don't think you want to do that" he smirked. Before Risa could flinch, the man spun sharply on his heel bending the metal upwards, a bullet sunk into the ceiling, white ash catching in his long raven hair. Releasing the gun from the grip, his functioning eye scanned the room slowly, stopping on at the very man who gave him that killer scar across his chest. The one that hurt most of all, etched deep into his skin.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll do as I say" Roy commanded, "Or perhaps I should refresh your memory and show you what I'm capable of... Bald"

"I'm flattered you remember me, _Colonel_. I assure you I won't be making the same mistake again, this will be the last time we meet" his gaze wondered to the blonde teenager beside the Colonel, the familiar prosthetic clearly visible through his frail white shirt. "Well well, if it isn't the runt" Bald growled, "I lost six years of my life because of you" he curled his flesh fingers into a tight fist, knuckles becoming a searing white. "This really is a trip down memory lane..." he spat, walking closer, despite Roy's raised hand, ready to spark.

The Colonel glared warningly. Bald simply laughed, raising his gun level with the man's temple.

"This time" he grinned confidently, "I'll make sure I blow your brains out"

"I look forward to it" Roy smirked, ignoring the large chunk of metal inching closer to his head. He'd taken this man down before. A second time would be no trouble at all.

Edward glanced from Bald to his cocky superior. He cursed the man's stupidity. His confidence was blinding him from the real battle; it was all too obvious he wasn't concentrating. It seemed Roy didn't notice Bald pull a knife from his pocket. The Colonels orbs were focused on the huge bulk of metal bolted to the man's shoulder.

Bald's lips curled into a smile, as he lunged for the Roy he said, "The time is now you bastard!" As Roy braced himself for the fatal blow, the blonde beside him caught the man's fist with his own, clamping the metal fingers tightly around the blunt blade.

"Looks like you and I agree on something" Ed smirked, "But unfortunately for you, kicking his ass is a privilege reserved for me only"

"I'll hold you to that" his superior called back, reminding the blonde he wasn't invisible.

"I have some questions for you" Ed said, looking up into Bald's dark eyes that loomed over him.

"And what makes you think I'll tell you anything?" he spat. The teen tightened his grip in response, making the man wince under the pressure.

"You're not in the position to argue. Why?"

"Why?" Bald laughed, "You think I'm capable of this? I'm a mere pawn. I have no reason to refuse orders from someone who introduced me to freedom. My life's purpose ended when you dogs slung me in a cell all those years ago"

"Who controls you?" the blonde cut straight to the chase. His body demanded sleep, and he was already getting sick of the site of work, despite only returning a few days ago. Bald remained silent, a smug smile on his lips. Ed tightened his grip angrily.

"I'll ask you one last time before I beat the living crap out of you. Who is it?"

The man narrowed his eyes and listened to the loud shouts and bangs coming from beyond the building, flashes of light lit the dark corridor as explosions crumbled the other offices around the campus.

"I'd check the cells if I were you" Bald smirked, "You might find them all unusually empty"

**Any guesses on who's causing the chaos? You're getting better at guessing :D**

**See you next chapter :) **


	14. Scattered

**Sorry it's a bit late :) I'm working on a one shot at the mo; hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

As the blonde lunged for Bald, an ear-splitting explosion shattered the doorway. The team ducked to avoid the impact, ducking and covering their heads as they'd been taught to do so in training. The strong breeze of the wind from outside lapped at their faces, the dust soon to follow.

Roy grit his teeth in irritation, fine shards of glass littered his dark raven hair, digging into his scalp. As he reached to brush them from his dusty locks, he inevitably pricked his gloved finger. The sight was rather amusing. The Colonels fine black hair had been clogged with white dust and power, giving him the appearance of a grey man. He could feel an age related joke coming from Edward. It was just a matter of time. Black orbs scanned the debris, surprising to find most of the wall and ceiling missing... and Bald.

'Great' he though. 'That's one more problem to deal with'

"Everyone-ok?" he coughed, clearing the dust from his airways, roughly throwing a wooden beam aside from his lap.

"Yes Sir" Risa got steadily to her feet, wincing through the thick smoke and dust.

"Yes Sir-ahh" Jean rubbed the back of his head gently, not surprised to feel the blood sticking to his fingers. He groaned. At least it wasn't too serious, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

"Havoc?" Roy kneeled before his subordinate, taking hold of the man's chin and turning his head with a pair of gloved fingers. The blondes hair was already matted with a small trail of crimson, and no doubt would need stitched eventually. "Do you think you can hold out until later?" he asked, signally for Havoc to follow his finger from side to side. Jean nodded slowly, gritting his teeth as the wound twinged in disagreement. His head throbbed dully, already adding to the persistent headache that had plagued him since arrival. Brushing the irritating white dust from his 'spotless' uniform, the man was helped to his feet by a worried looking Colonel, who seemed to be scanning him for any extra damage.

"I'm fine" Jean insisted, ignoring the dull throbbing in his head, "You can quit examining me now-" before he could finish, Jean was interrupted by a fit of muffled coughing coming from the doorway.

Ed winced as he felt his lungs protest sorely, the thick dust clogging his airways. Each breath took more and more effort, draining any remaining energy the teen had left over. He leaned back onto the cold wall, the cool plaster nursing his aching back through the frail fabric of his shirt. The icy wind sent a sharp shiver gliding down his spine, lingering uncomfortably.

Ed cracked open an eye, squinting through the cloudy air and scanning it for any signs of Bald. Gone. His gold orbs drifted to the heavy weight at his flesh shoulder. A wooden beam was pinning him to the wall, the tip ridden with splinters embedded in his porcelain skin. As far as he could see, there wasn't much blood. Not enough to worry about anyway. He had other problems at the top of his growing priority list, never ending at that.

"Edward?" the Colonel knelt beside the injured teenager, whom cracked a sincere smile to himself.

"Just my luck..." he laughed half heartedly, wincing as his lungs protested once more, the beam restricting his chest movement. If he inhaled too deeply, the wood dug deeper into his skin, breathing too shallow didn't satisfy his lungs, which demanded more oxygen. Roy gently reached out a gloved hand to remove the beam quickly before the teen took notice. Ed batted his hand away and grit his teeth tightly. His metal fingers clasped the wood, and he tore it from his shoulder, holding back a muffled cry as the automail fist fell limply to the floor. The blonde felt a small trickle of blood drip down his torso, white shirt clinging to his chest.

"FullMetal, are you-"

"Relax" he interrupted his superior, "I've had worse. I'm just a little bruised, that's all" the teen brushed the plaster from his lap and heaved himself forcefully to his feet. The blonde was tempted to rest his weight against the wall, but soon decided not to. It would be just his luck if the remaining wall collapsed on top of him. Ed reached a hand into his hair and pulled out several shards of thick glass, dropping them onto the floor with a ping. "Any idea which way he went?" the teen took the silence as a no. He sighed, lowering his gaze to the rubble were the two chimeras once stood. He didn't dare look any closer.

Dodging the slabs of wood and ceiling, Ed ventured into the laboratory without a second thought, the glass crunching beneath his feet. "Quit looking at me like I've grown an extra head" he could feel Roy's gaze burn into his back, scanning him for any further damage.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jean asked sheepishly. The teen ignored the man and continued to walk, curiously observing the neatly arranged needles and experiments laid neatly across the large tables. Unlike any other military funded lab Edward had seen before, this one didn't contain animals. At least there were no signs of any, just a large collection of research material and jars of brightly coloured chemical substances, which didn't look a healthy colour in the blonde's opinion.

The team cautiously followed behind him, paying no attention to the papers or equipment, but to the open door at the far end of the room that led to a neighbouring hallway. The lights flickered quickly, buzzing as the power cut in and out repeatedly.

"I thought you said it was a bad idea to come in here?" Roy asked the young subordinate cockily, watching as the teen searched through the scattered papers on the desk, a glossy chestnut colour. Whoever worked in there was sure a fan of bright colours.

"It is"

"Then why are we in here?" Risa asked, clutching the gun in her hand tightly.

"Well we can't go the other way. The rest of the hallway could collapse"

"Could FullMetal" the Colonel added.

"If you want to be buried alive, be my guest" the teen called back coolly, "I'm not digging you out for anyone..." he trailed off, reaching for the last file, a thickly compiled folder without a label. He took it from the pile and began to scan though its contents, observing the hundreds of sketched diagrams and arrays. "Say, Colonel... who works in here?"

There was a pause from Roy. "I don't know" he replied, "I've never come across this room before"

The blonde went back to absorbing himself in the arrays, most of which he recognised from his research, building DNA structure. From scratch.

"Judging by these dates, this was done quite recently... it took me years to learn all of these-" the lights clicked off again. But this time, they remained off. The echoing sound of footsteps grew louder, moving further and further down the hallway. Ed dropped the file back in its place; it fell quickly from his fingers with a light thud. The steps ground to a halt, much too close for Ed's liking. He and the figure were just inches apart, separated by a mere filing cabinet.

Unfortunately for team Mustang, the darkness swarming their vision meant they couldn't see the figure lurking in the doorway. Roy hoped whoever it was would dismiss the noise as a figment of their imagination and continued walking. The person had other plans. Risa, Roy and Jean stood painfully still, the only movements the slow rising and falling of their chests. After a long silence, the figure turned and stepped back into the hallway. Roy sighed quietly in relief. The figure turned sharply and began to laugh.

"Fooled you... didn't I?" the man walked into the lab, slowly tracing his steps towards the three soldiers who were backing into the unstable wall. "Unfortunately for you, I'm rather used to seeing in the dark... it's only natural after being locked inside for fifteen years..." he stopped just inched from Roy, bringing his face close enough for both pairs of eyes to see each other. Roy could feel the unsteady breaths of the man caress the side of his cheek, causing him to clench his teeth in disgust. A pair of green orbs glared deeply into his own, the man's head tilting from one side to another as he examined the set of black orbs.

"Tell me Colonel... are you afraid of a man who hasn't seen the sun in fifteen years?"

"You wish" the Colonel spat back, igniting a flame and aiming it directly in front of him. The man narrowly avoided a roasting and stepped aside. The viscous oranges and reds collided with the wall beside the cabinet. Edward quickly ducked to avoid a scorching, muttering curses to his lovely superior. It seemed the man had forgotten his subordinate was hiding in the dark corner. Hiding. The blonde tried to convince himself he wasn't hiding, merely- observing until he could conjure up a miraculous plan to save everyone... and his own ass. Smacking his head on the wall behind him, Ed knew now wasn't the time to be a coward. He had to-

_Click._ Another flame ignited the room, catching the desk, a small shelf of text books and the untidy pile of papers resting on its surface. 'Note to self' the teen reminded himself, 'singe Roy's ass for destroying decent reading material' he smirked at the very thought. Perhaps that would teach the flame to abuse a good book collection.

The light was a blessing to the Flame, as now he could see exactly who he was dealing with. A tall prisoner, dressed in a dull black and white stripped uniform that clung to his skinny frame, the shirt hung loosely around his shoulders revealing his flat torso. The man's hair was short and tussled, brunette with occasional steaks of platinum. In any other uniform, he would have looked relatively normal. But trusting his conscience, Roy Mustang knew this man was far from normal. It was something about his eyes. The way they lingered far longer than they should, tracing every detail of everything.

"What's your name?" Risa asked, walking away from the wall and stopping beside her superior.

"Name?" he laughed, "I've been called many things in my time. Sick, monstrous, heartless... you take your pick"

"I'll ask you again. What is your name?"

"Name... I used to have one... once. You can call me seven hundred and three! A nice ring to it... don't you think?" the sarcasm suddenly disappeared. Smirking and looking to the table from the corner of his eye, the man turned quickly and grabbed a syringe, lunging for the blonde lurking in the shadows.

Edward found himself pinned to a wall roughly, a cold, frail hand restricting his airways. The prisoner looked from the blonde to the tip of the long needle in his hand, the red liquid rippling in the plastic tube. Risa raised her gun, only to find a hand push the barrel towards the floor.

"You could hit Edward"

The man raised the needle to the light, a trickle of red oozing from the tip, cascading down his long pale arm.

"What's-in-that-thing" the blonde wheezed between breaths, trying to pry the fingers from his throat.

"Who knows..." the man grinned, pressing the tip to the teen's neck, "Care to find out?"

**I rushed this a bit, sorry if you find any mistakes! Thanks for reading, see you next chapter!**


	15. No One

**Sorry again for the wait, my apologies! A little bad language in this one**

Edward clawed at the man's hand wrapped tightly around his throat, gritting his teeth and growling angrily. His arms were beginning to feel heavy, falling limply to his sides in exhaustion. Roy took a step forward; the long needle inched closer to the teen's throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" the prisoner sneered, light green eyes locked with the Colonels. "I might just... slip" the needle suddenly lunged towards the blonde, grinding to a halt and resting against his pale skin. The man looked back to the Colonel, smiling at the worrying look of concern etched across his features.

His dark onyx eyes darted nervously, despite the brave front he was displaying, gloved hand raised to snap if necessary. He was only going to fire if he had to. He didn't plan on injuring Ed in the process. "What do you want?" Roy called, a slight twinge of hesitation in his voice.

"What is it that I want...?" the man paused, drumming his fingers against the syringe, deep in thought. "I'm not sure..." he laughed, the instrument shaking in his hand dangerously with each shake of his chest. The blonde at his mercy widened his golden orbs with fear, gaze fixed on the glistening silver close to piercing his skin.

It was the first time Ed had seriously doubted his own survival. Sure he'd been in worse scrapes before- much worse. This was just a scratch compared to losing a limb, without a doubt it could be far worse. So why did he have a bad feeling about this?

"Let him go" the Colonel commanded, "Let him go and I'll forget I ever saw you"

"You must think I'm missing a few brain cells Colonel" he narrowed his eyes viscously, "You have no reason to bargain with a rat like me, you could dispose of me in seconds... doubting our own abilities are we?"

"You have one of my most valued subordinates"

"Nice to know where we stand..." Jean muttered, nursing the back of his sore head tiredly.

"That's-very-flattering-and-everything-but.....I-CANT-BREATHE!" Ed gasped between attempted breaths. His brain screamed for oxygen, making him painfully aware of each passing second, like being afraid of the dark with your eyes pinned open. The teen's body craved sleep. He'd barely slept all week. It was highly tempting to fall into a deep slumber.... an easy way out. But Edward knew if he slept know, there was a high chance he wouldn't be waking up again. He thought hard, picturing the different possible scenarios in his head, the only thing that seemed to function right now. Supposing the madman let go of his throat, he was likely to get injected with the pretty red liquid. Either way, he was screwed.

For the first time in years, Roy Mustang was unsure of what to do. There were many things he could do to the man, burn, shoot, beat, but they wouldn't do his subordinate any favours. Trying to bargain with a criminal was useless. He was wasting time, and every passing second digging himself into a deeper hole. He could see the teen was in pain, pinned to the wall with a tight hand clamped around his neck, wide eyed and limp. Roy couldn't stand by and watch him suffer any longer than he had to, he didn't believe in miracles. He took a brave step forward, locking determined eyes with Edward.

"D-Don't" the teen wheezed, urging the man not to fight a losing battle, looking him in the eyes pleadingly. His heart pounded against his ribs sorely, thumping hard with each desperate beat. His eyes began to cloud, the room and its contents mere blobs of colour on a wet canvas, dripping and smearing together. He glared at the man through half lidded eyes.

"It'll-take-more-than-that-to-finish-me" he spat, clamping a metallic hand around the offending wrist and squeezed as tightly as he could. The man cried out in pain as his bones began to crack under the inhuman pressure, crunching together one by one. He dropped his broken hand limply to his side and snarled angrily at the teenager, lunging for his throat with the needle in his hand. The blonde threw himself aside desperately, kicking the man in the shin with a hard kick before he was politely doused in flames.

The team spent no time in hesitating, running straight to Ed's side. The teen was laying on his right side, chest rising and falling deeply, eyes tightly clamped shut in pain. The air was a blessing in disguise, despite the stinging of his sinuses and the dull throbbing of his head. Bruised fingerprints were already beginning to appear around his throat, each finger clearly printed with a purple mark. The blonde could hear a buzz of worried conversation around him, the words passing through his ear drums without recognition. Then, a familiar gloved hand moved to check his pulse, teasing his skin lightly in hesitation. Roy pulled his hand away and fixed his black gaze to the pale, marked flesh on his young subordinate. Silence.

Ed shakily raised a hand, running his gloved fingers across the side of his neck nervously. Biting his lip he cracked open his eyes, squinting through the darkness. Pulling back the hand his orbs lingered on the crimson stain marking his crisp white gloves.

"Fuck" he cursed, the urge to panic growing stronger after each passing second. Clamping his hand back onto the small wound, he took a series of deep breaths, fighting the swell of panic rising inside him. The syringe hadn't punctured his skin, but grazed it, a long scratch running down the side of his neck, bleeding ever so slightly. Roy moved a hand to the teens shoulder, giving it a weak, reassuring squeeze.

"I'm so screwed" the blonde said, sitting up and leaning his weight against the wall, a thump as his automail collided with the brick. The scratch began to sting, a warm sensation digging deeper into his skin. At first, Ed was unsure whether it was just his mind messing with it. It was just a scratch... right? He hissed as the heat became more intense, a harsh reminder than a small injury could be deceiving, the surrounding skin becoming a darker shade of pink against his porcelain skin.

"Edward, I need you to tell me what you're feeling" Roy commanded calmly, tightening his grip on Ed's quivering shoulder.

"It doesn't matter" he replied, "We can't do anything, we don't know what was in the-" before he could finish, Ed muffled a cry of pain, the heat digging deeper and deeper into his system. He clawed at his neck, the pressure relieving the stinging slightly.

"Edward?" the blonde took a quick gasps of air through his mouth, his chest rising and falling quickly, the cold air stinging his dry throat. "Ed, I need you to calm down" despite Roy's words, the teen continued his panicking breaths, hand tightly clamped to the side of his neck.

"That's and order FullMetal" getting to his feet, he looked out into the dark hallway, switching his gaze to Jean and Risa, "We should get going, some could have heard us. Can you stand?" he asked the injured blonde, who merely replied by pulling himself to his feet, leaning against the filing cabinet for support. Roy looked to Jean, who gave a silent nod of understanding. Havoc latched an arm around the teen's waist in support and looked back to his silent superior stood in the dark doorway.

"Risa? Bring that syringe, we might need it later" soon, the Colonel disappeared into the black hallway, the ringing echo of his footsteps trailing behind him.

"Fucking idiot..." Ed called back with a low whisper, "You don't know what's out there..."

Cautiously, Risa, Jean and Edward followed, senses on overdrive, picking up on each breath and footstep that graced their hearing. They paced through the empty corridor in silence, listening to the faint sound of whizzing bullets and ticking of the clock. Ed hoped the night wouldn't drag on much longer. His body demanded sleep, limbs sluggishly responding, and peering through half lidded eyes. It was at times like this he was grateful his legs didn't ache like everyone else's, but it took more energy to heave his heavy prosthetics across the floor, especially when he was barely awake.

There was a faint click of a door. Jean stopped in his tracks, turning to Edward.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered, the teen nodded, biting his lip. Roy turned, noticing the decrease in footsteps, continuing to walk beside Risa.

"What is it?" he asked with a sigh, raking a gloved hand through his choppy raven locks. Ed raised a finger to his lips, motioning for the Colonel to be silent, listening to the sound of approaching rushed footsteps. "Edward, don't be stupid, there's no one-"

The doors opened with a slam, the team jumped, startled by the panting man nursing a stitch in his side, saluting in his navy uniform. "Colonel-Mustang-Sir!"

Ed and Jean sighed with relief, a great weight lifted from their minds. The soldier reached out an arm to Roy, holding a stamped envelope addressed to the Colonel. Roy took the letter, turning back to his subordinates with a smirk, clearly reading 'I told you so'.

Ed held his chest that slammed vigorously against his ribs, narrowing his gold eyes at the soldier. "Seriously.... don't scare us like tha-"

Bang.

A bullet embedded itself it the back of the man's head, sending him crashing head first into the tiled floor, a spray of crimson staining Roy and the creamy parchment in his hand. The panelled glass shattered, a series of bullets firing and dropping with a ping to the floor, skimming the Colonel. Edward unlatched himself from Jean and ran into the side of his superior, knocking them from a path of bullets and into a nearby office, breaking the lock and splintering the wood. The blonde's ribs and injured shoulder protested sorely at his reckless choice of landing, sprawled across the floor beside Roy who was busy taking refuge behind the large desk, signalling for Ed to do the same.

Peering through the doorway, Ed could see Havoc crouched behind a water dispenser across the hall, Risa pressed flatly against a wall. Jean prayed silently to the God he'd never believed in. Anything was trying to save his own ass, even if it meant he had to turn to religion. Locking eyes with his superior, he gave a quick nod, grabbing the barrel of the dispenser and hauling it at the figure standing at the end of the corridor, a clatter as his gun fell to the floor.

Jean and Risa dived into the office, perching behind the furniture nervously, aiming their pistols towards the doorway, listening to the sound of footsteps crunching on glass inching closer and closer.

**I admit there wasn't much progression, but... what will happen to Ed? : D**

**What does the note say?**

**I'll see you next chapter, thank you for all your reviews and subscriptions : )**


	16. Training

**Hello! Thank you very much for reading this far, I hope I can continue to satisfy you : )**

**Here is another chapter just for you : )**

Edward jumped as a bullet clipped the desk mere inches from his head. He knocked his head hard on the wood in surprise, ignoring the stinging sensation and averting his attention back to the dark doorway. Holding his sore collarbone with a flesh hand, Ed collapsed against the cold radiator, a hollow knock as the automail collided with it. The office was mayhem. The walls and cork boards were embedded with bullets, holes and chips marked the walls randomly. A messy pile of files and papers littered the floor, a large black stain from a shattered pot of ink marked the cream and white parchment, a sticky trail of glass and ink trailed from the desk to the carpet.

Jean fired blindly towards the doorway, ignoring the protest from his legs as he crouched beside the sofa the muscles burning stiffly across his thighs. It was ever so tempting to surrender and release the heavy pistol from his hand. It was almost impossible to aim in the dark, as well as being half asleep. There was the occasional spark of a bullet that barley lit a thing, the blue spark disappearing almost as soon as it appeared. The lights weren't functioning in the slightest, the lamp lights were down outside, and Roy didn't seem to be very co-operative.

"Boss!" he yelled loudly over the gunfire, "We could do with some light!"

Roy raised a gloved hand hesitantly, a bullet chipping the wooden desk just inches from his fingers. Of course he'd love to help his subordinates, but he wasn't so sure losing a few fingers in the process was worth the risk or his time and effort. The thought didn't seem too flattering. Biting his lip, the Colonel ignited a flame and sent it flaring viscously into the dark corridor, a hiss of pain as a path of Hawkeyes bullets clipped the attacker's arms. The man's aim became more and more sluggish and off target, the bullets sinking lower and lower to the floor. Risa smirked triumphantly. It appeared the man wasn't strong enough to wield a gun, let alone the monstrous model he possessed. She doubted he had ever used one before.

Roy Mustang was busy cursing under his breath, almost oblivious to the present growing war zone as he struggled to open the well glued envelope with his gloved fingers, growling in irritation. As tempting as it was for Edward to laugh and slip in a sly comment, watching the man struggle was beginning to irritate him himself. Pulling off a glove with his teeth, he swiped the annoyance from his superiors grasp, the tab opening nicely under his fingers. The teen threw back the parchment smugly, ignoring the deadly glare burning into the back of his head.

"Honestly, you take so much looking aft-" the blonde jumped out of his skin as a loud bang erupted from above his right shoulder, a spray of water soaking him from head to toe in the process.

"You bastard!" he fumbled blindly for a heavy object in the nearest draw which happened to be a stapler, and lobbed it full force into the doorway angrily, producing a yelp from his victim. The teen clenched a fist as the sound of Roy's laughter filled his ears. Turning to give the man a piece of his mind, his lips curled into a genuine smile.

"Colonel?" Roy ceased his laughter and looked to his young subordinate questioningly, "Your gloves are wet" Ed displayed the grin of a Cheshire cat, despite the damp shirt and hair clinging to his skin. As the man looked down at his wet hands, the blonde wasn't sure he could contain himself. Looking at the wet fabric, Ed knew this was no laughing matter. Until the gloves dried out, Mustang would have to rely on his subordinates to protect him. Wonderful.

"Shit" Roy tried to salvage the sopping wet note in his lap, peeling the delicate paper carefully from his damp leg with his bare fingers. The ink had already begun to run, the white covered with long black smudges and finger prints, and he could only be sure of one thing. It was from Major Armstrong, there was no doubting that familiar bold handwriting. There were a few legible words he could just about make out in the darkness, squinting as he held the paper close to his face.

'Colonel................... immediately............... warehouse three'

The warehouse was on the other side of the campus, which meant getting to it one piece would be extremely difficult. Judging by the loud firing and explosions coming from outside, it was inevitable they would run into problems eventually. Whoever was leading this chaos wanted to make sure all the squads were delayed for as long as possible, and were undoubtedly succeeding, but not for much longer.

Edward flinched as the firing pierced the wall around him, just inches from doing any serious damage. The plaster chipped and cracked, the dust collecting on his shoulders and in his limp, wet hair. The blonde wanted to move. His instincts told him to jump after each click of the pistol, after each bullet skimmed his face. Fortunately, Ed knew better. Any wrong move now could cause severe consequences for his incredibly handsome features. Disfigurement was unwelcome and defiantly not attractive; the teen had already had his fair share of body modification to last several life times.

"Edward!" Risa called, firing and looking to him from the corner of her eye. She reached blindly for a pistol in her holster and slid it across the floor, stopping inches from his grasp.

"Shit" the teen cursed, looking from the doorway to the pistol. Did he really want to risk being shot in the head for a lousy gun? After barely any thought, Ed came to a conclusion. There was no doubt he'd done some stupid shit in his life so far, why should now become an exception?

He flexed his joints carefully, and edged his leg towards the pistol without trying to move his torso, slouching further down the wall until the tip of his black boots touched the barrel. The bullets changed course, aiming for the blonde's leg, skimming the metal lightly. He smirked and kicked the gun across the hideous navy carpet. The teen's leg disappeared behind the desk; he took the weapon in his left hand and felt the cool, smooth metal with his fingertips. For a moment, he paused, and turned his gaze to his left boot, a small hole piercing the bottom.

Roy watched as Ed removed his boot and pulled a silver bullet from the join in his toes, throwing the ammo carelessly aside. The Colonel looked to the pistol in the teen's hand, and then to his wet gloves dumped messily in his lap. He held out a hand. The blonde raised a brow curiously, looking to the lump of metal in his flesh fingers.

"Something you want Colonel?"

"Give me the gun FullMetal"

"Have you had training?"

"................."

"Then I politely refuse" he smiled broadly and got to his knees, pressing his side to the desk and aiming the barrel of the gun towards the door.

"FullMet-" Ed raised a finger to silence the man and fired a single shot. There was a pained gasp, and a thud as a body hit the floor, a rifle clattered against the tiles with it. Edward got to his feet confidently, throwing the pistol carelessly to his superior.

"We should get going, someone would have heard that" he smirked; walking over to the uniformed man slumped against the wall with a hole in his chest. His eyes were widened; blood smeared across his spectacles perched loosely on the end of his nose, smudges marking his pale cheeks. He reached for the rifle; a foot kicked it far from his reach and then turned swiftly to collide with his back, knocking the wind out of him.

Risa, Jean and Roy emerged sheepishly from the office, pausing behind the blonde.

"Where too Colonel?" Ed gave the man one last kick and turned to face the remaining last stretch of dark corridor.

"Just follow, someone could be listening" he began to lead his subordinates through the hall, a soggy pair of gloves in his pocket, the wet seeping through his trousers and irritating his skin. "Major Armstrong will be there with the Fuery and Breda, we'll make a plan, and then-"

"Kick some ass" the teen finished, clamping a hand over his stinging shoulder. His neck was already beginning to swell with bruises, black, purple, yellow and red staining his porcelain skin. He'd declined Jeans offer to help him walk, Ed was determined to keep going until he had to rely on the man for help. He didn't want to burden the man with his inhumane weight, he wasn't that cruel. He could see Jean was struggling to keep himself going already.

Havoc was grateful the lights refused to work. He was sure that it wouldn't have done his headache any favours. The back of his head has stopped bleeding, a patch of blonde hair messily clumped together with a dry crimson stain. He certainly wasn't looking forward to washing it out, and the thought of stitches didn't thrill him one bit. He'd probably have to shave it. Great.

Roy paced through the silent corridor deep in thought, the distant flashes of light and firing failed to make him flinch. He wondered if they would make it to the other side in one piece. With two of his men already injured, it wouldn't take much more to finish them. If it hadn't been for Ed's lucky shot, things could have ended much worse back in the office. It was clear that the chaos was being led by someone in the military, someone who could convince entire squads of people to turn against the state. It was hard to single out people who could be to blame. There were just too many suspicious candidates already on Roy's list of annoyances, to him, they were all guilty.

Glancing back over his shoulder, his attention shifted to the three tired blondes trailing behind him.

"Edward?"

"What now?" the teen groaned tiredly, rubbing his temples to keep himself awake.

"You forgot your shoe"

**I know it wasn't very progressive, sorry about that...**

**Sorry if I spelt any names wrong! What will happen next? Will Ed find his shoe?!**

**Find out in the near future :)**


	17. Trust

**Thanks again for the reviews and subscriptions : )**

**Here's the next chapter!**

Edward glanced down at his left foot hesitantly, a slight blush tinted his cheeks as he realised his prosthetic leg was walking barley across the tiled floor. The teen cursed his own stupidity and narrowed his eyes at Roy, looking over to the man red faced and embarrassed.

"You're a real bastard, you know that?"

The Colonel merely smiled and continued to walk, knowing full well it wasn't the blondes fault. He couldn't feel the cold tiles against his foot or the tough leather of his boots. After years of searching for a way to regain his limbs, Edward has been cast to another world and returned with yet another prosthetic. Roy wondered if Ed had ever intended to fix himself at all, he wouldn't have been surprised if the years of questing for the stone had been entirely for Alphonse.

"You know if I didn't feel so shitty right now, I'd probably hit you..." the teen muttered, his cheeks still tinted a light shade of pink. His golden hair was beginning to slip from its ponytail, the loose strands cascading down his hair and back. Ed reached a flesh hand into his hair and pulled the elastic with his fingers, gold pooling around his shoulders. It wasn't often anyone got to see the blonde without his composed mask. His hair was free from its usual form, his automail clearly on show, and his fiery temper has faded into fatigue. He looked more like his age, a young carefree teenager than an experienced dog of the military. It was amazing how the blonde could change so quickly from a normal teen to a soldier and state alchemist. From such an early age, Roy knew what he was capable of. After several years of growth and improvement, it was safe to say no one dared to mess with the FullMetal Alchemist.

"You ok chief?" Jean had been trying hard to ignore Ed rubbing at his neck for the last few minutes. It was clear the teen was trying slyly not to divert any attention to himself.

"I'm fine" Ed knew it was a lie, and an obvious one at that, but he was in no mood to be told he was unfit for action. He was sure he wasn't the only one that wanted this over with quickly; although the Elric knew he would only be a burden if any injuries affected his performance when it was most needed.

The lights began to flicker lazily, the buzz of electric humming above their heads as the power cut in and out repeatedly. Jean began to curse as his head thudded in protest, the weak bursts of artificial light stinging his eyes. If this was a minor head wound, he was sure thankful he'd escaped with just a scratch.

Roy sighed as the corridor seemed to stretch further and further as the team continued to walk, the white walls endlessly disappearing in the distance. His feet began to ache; after all, they weren't used to much walking in one day. The Colonel spent most, if not all his military hours behind a desk, shielded from the dangers of the outside world and it's ever changing seasons. There had been many a time when Edward had appeared in the man's office all those years ago, soaked to the skin from the vigorous downpour, a wet braid clinging to his back and a pair of narrowed, glaring eyes. The teen had been cast out on missions rain or shine, despite how his automail protested during extremely hot or cold seasons. When he had first joined the team, complaining about his 'lazy' superior had become a regular occurrence. After a few months, the blonde found he didn't have the energy to argue or complain anymore, and haled himself into the office, slammed a report rudely on the desk and kick the door upon entrance and exit. A routine he would always be well recognised for.

"Have the halls always been this... long?" Roy groaned his usual military posture slipping into a slouch.

"Yes sir" Risa grit her teeth, holding back a burst of rude and insulting comments. It was this hall she was made to walk several times a day, going backwards and forwards with stacks of joyful paperwork.

"Asses like you wouldn't notice..." Ed spat without attempting to curb his rudeness like Hawkeye, "You doss about in the office all day while mugs like us get sent half way across the planet..." he moaned, his legs beginning to grow heavier. It was taking more and more effort to haul the prosthetics across the floor. It took patience, strength and co-ordination. It wasn't just simply a case of just walking. Not being able to feel his legs meant Ed had to rely on his nerves and brain for the correct timing and functions.

Usually, rehabilitation was supposed to take years. After already having to experience the loss of one leg, the teen sailed through the healing process much to the doctors and nurses amazement. It wasn't all sunshine and roses. There was one thing that Edward hadn't quite perfected still. Balance. As he walked through the silent, dark hallways he was beginning to lean over to one side.

His left leg was constructed beautifully by Winry, each bolt and wire fixed and placed with much precision. The teen had grown used to coping with manoeuvring the large hunk of metal. His right leg however, was a different story. It was a simple, frail design, much like a spare from Pinako but much thinner and delicate. It certainly didn't match the rest of his limbs. He could have changed it if he wanted an upgrade, disposed of the ugly thing. But like his right arm and left leg, he wanted to keep it as a reminder, a metallic scar. Ed didn't want to sound sappy, but it had a lot of memories too. It was one of the few reminders he had of his trip to the gate that wasn't stored in his head.

Some people had pictures; some had tattoos, and Ed? Well, he liked to be different.

The main reception was just in front of them, the lamps flickering in sync. Just like the office, its paperwork littered the floor; sopping wet documents clung together beside a shattered mug, its brown contents staining the pages.

There was no sign of injury or struggle, just the remains of what was once a neat and ordered pile of documents. The flash of gun fire appeared through the windows, the courtyard a death trap awaiting its next unfortunate victim. Roy looked back, and then to the single door leading outside.

"We didn't come all this way for nothing" he narrowed his eyes and looked to the clock on the floor, the hands still moving behind the broken glass.

The whizz of bullets and yelps rang through the air, the Colonels subordinates reluctant to move forward. As he moved closer to the door, Roy was well aware the three blondes behind him did not follow. He peered over his shoulder.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

* * *

"I didn't think so. On my command, make a dive for cover and don't move until I tell you"

Roy pressed his back to the door, the ice cold glass piercing through his thin shirt. A tight knot of nerves was already beginning to twist and turn in his stomach, wreathing uncomfortably. The three blondes behind him were waiting impatiently for the call to move forward, prepared to flinch at the smallest of sounds. No one dared speak from fear of missing the queue to move, reluctant to stay in the office block alone. If they had to go anywhere, they were going together.

"NOW"

The door swung open, squeaking in protest on its hinges. The team followed, diving for cover behind the nearest object, which happened to be the frail wooden fencing separating the grass from the pavement. The yard was a court of destruction. The earth was scattered in lumps and mounds, the dirt powdered across the neat paving slabs. The smell of smoke undoubtedly hung in the air. They all recognised it, especially Roy. The scent of burning, devouring everything and everyone. Ed could remember distinctly the smell of a corpse; he'd encountered it so often he had become immune to the instant urge to gag.

The sound of firing began to grow stronger, bullets piercing the wood in a scattered motion. Jean clutched a pistol to his chest protectively, cursing the stinging sensation at the back of his head as it touched the fence. His eyes darted nervously after each loud explosion, the light reflected in the window panes behind him.

"We'll never make it in one piece!"

"Jean, have I ever given you reason not to trust me?" Roy looked to is subordinate with determination, hoping his bravery would rub off on the man. "There's no need to-"

The Colonel ducked as a rain of soil was thrown forcefully over the fence from a strong explosion, collecting in his short raven hair.

"Worry" he finished finally.

"Can you blame him?!" Ed exclaimed, shaking the dirt from his hair, "How are the four of us supposed to take them all down?"

"You always were optimistic...." Roy rolled his eyes, pulling his damp white gloves from his pocket ad beginning to search for something.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ed looked dumbfoundedly at his superior, who was searching thoroughly through his navy pockets franticly.

"I need..." his onyx eyes paused at the earth smeared ground. He had of course, been looking for something to write with. After all the paperwork he did, Roy was surprised not to find a biro or marker lurking in his pockets. Smearing the earth on his gloves, Roy added another transmutation circle to the fabric, just below the large crimson circle. Hopefully, all those years of research and training hadn't been for nothing.

"When I give you the signal, go"

"Signal?" Risa asked.

Roy smirked, "Trust me, you'll know it when it comes"

_// "Trust me, I really don't think you want to be-"_

"_Do you have any better ideas?" the blonde was out of ammunition, and searching the floor and the deceased reluctantly for spares. Usually, he would have refused. Stealing from the dead and dying was below his morals and standards. But now, it was either Edward's morals or his life._

"_I've heard bad things about-"_

"_BAD?! You want bad? We're in a war Al!!" Ed was crouching on the floor, avoiding the mess of crimson and mud as best as he could, determined not to ruin his green uniform any further. It could be weeks or months until he had access to a spare, although now was defiantly the time to be more concerned about the approaching mob of soldiers that seemed to go on to infinity._

"_I wish you'd stop with the superstitious crap... it's not like their using it anyway!" he began to search more and more franticly, fully aware of each crucial passing second._

"_Edward..." Alfonse resembled a deer caught in the headlights. His usual tidy hair was ridden with dust, streaks of mud staining the roots and tips. He fumbled for his gun and got to his knees, pressing his back to the remains of what used to be a strong wall. His large eyes darted nervously from fear of missing anything important. One move could change everything. He knew that, and undoubtedly, Edward did too._

"_Superstitious? Can you blame me?" he called over the loud firing, "You're always talking about that place you're from, Armetris, or whatever the hell it's called!"_

"_You know what? I don't know what's real and what isn't anymore! This is more than just a nightmare..." Al looked back over his shoulder to his determined friend, who was still searching amongst the debris and corpses. "Hurry up!"_

"_I'm trying!" the teen would never usually allow himself to get into a situation like this. With just one clap, he could have rid them all, or at least delayed them anyway. Ed had learnt that life on the other side of the gate was much harder than home. Nothing was simple. "Stuff this crap!" the blonde got to his feet and motioned for Alfonse to join him._

"_We could be searching forever! We need to find cover-" a bullet collided with his helmet, the teen ducked from instinct, craning his neck to Al._

"_Come on Al!"_

"_AL!"_

_Alfonse turned sharply, locking eyes with his best friend fearfully while his limbs refused to move, like big blocks of cement._

"_You have to make a promise!" the shaking teen said to Ed._

"_Now isn't the time!"_

"_Promise me we won't get separated!"_

_BANG. Flames danced across the land. The land that they had been forced to call home for many months._

"_Promise me Edward! I can't go on alone!"_

"_I swear with my life! Now go!" Ed couldn't pry his gaze from the teen that resembled his younger brother. His emotions instinctively assumed it was the younger Elric, and were rammed into overdrive. Of course it didn't matter if he was looking at Alphonse or Alfonse. He'd do anything for them both. He may not have been related to Alfonse by blood, but they were close enough to be brothers._

_Ed reached out a hand and grabbed Al by the collar, pulling him to his feet roughly._

"_GO!" //_

**It's been way too long since I included a flash back!**

**I know they aren't in order, but eventually the stories from the gate will piece together and make sense. See you next chapter :)**


	18. Tender Loving Care

**This update isn't as early as it could have been, and it's a little on the short side. I had a busy week, back to normal next chapter : )**

"GO!"

The blonde remained routed to the spot. When the other members of team Mustang ran blindly across the court, it was only when they were almost at the other side Roy realised Edward was still missing. When he came to his senses, he felt rather foolish for not realising sooner. The flames leaped from his finger tips and scorched the surrounding annoyances, leaving nothing but blackness and pained cries in its path.

"EDWARD, MOVE!" The Colonel couldn't see the teenager. Turning his back to search with his eyes would be idiotic and dangerous. He hoped that the sound of his dreary voice reached the blondes eardrums, or else he'd either have to risk his safety and go back and throttle him or hope Ed had the sense to move before it was too late.

"EDWARD!"

Ed emerged from his distant memories and came to the realisation that he was now alone, crouching behind the frail wood without his team mates. The sound of his superior's irritant calls grated through his ear drums, the familiar flash of flames reflecting in the clear window panes. He grit his teeth, demanding stubbornly that his mind pull itself together instead of doting on the past, after all no matter how hard he thought he could do nothing to change it. Now defiantly wasn't the time to be reflecting on memories, especially the negative ones. It wouldn't do Ed's mental health and favours.

Biting his lip, Ed took one last look into the glass and pulled himself to his feet, bravely throwing his tired limbs forward in the ongoing war zone.

Roy was relieved to see a familiar mop of golden hair emerge from the distance, the teen darted from side to side to avoid being pierced or grazed by another bullet, just like he'd been taught in training. The Colonel was surprised the blonde had been listening. If there had ever been a stressful day in his life that had certainly been one of them. Roy could still remember how his subordinate refused to co-operate, adding in the odd sarcastic comment whenever he could. Then again... What had changed? Although Roy had to admit, Ed has certainly matured since then, even if it was only slightly.

After running and using most of his energy, Edward soon found his legs refusing to co-operate. The metal weighed him down sluggishly, leaving the already drained blonde dragging his body forcefully across the damaged lawn of grass, cursing as he almost went flying after his steel toes caught the edge of a pot hole.

Smoke. The familiar scent lingered in his nostrils, floating through the air and obscuring his vision. Someone had really annoyed the Colonel, and that was putting it politely. In all honesty, Edward felt rather idiotic. He already knew he was nearing his limits, knowing full well anymore damage to his health wouldn't do him any favours.

Ed rubbed at his neck with a gloved hand as the wound began to throb, the stinging sensation clawing at his neck and shoulder. Thinking back to the encounter with Bald, he could almost feel his throat begin to tighten, each finger printed bruise felt as if it were set boldly in stone. Lowering a hand to his side, the blonde jumped as the sound of an explosion boomed from behind him, the smashing of glass ringing through his ears. Roy, Risa and Jean ducked, picking up the pace as ammunition began to soar through the air.

Ed growled as the loud noises made his delicate ears protest sorely, cursing after each shot. With each step forward it was like taking 2 steps back. Either the teen was slowing down or his superior was speeding up. Still, he couldn't blame the man for not wanting a bullet lodged nicely in his head. The thought wasn't pleasant at all.

Finally, the young alchemist had reached the other side of the humongous court, with just a short walk left to go. He sighed with relief, brushing a hand through the limp strands of hair clinging to his cheeks. Just as he was thinking "Thank god that's over with" the familiar click of a pistol sounded, cool metal pressed behind his ear to the side of his head. Edwards flesh fingers curled into a fist as he realised once again he'd have to deal with another idiot, and this one seemed to enjoy the confrontational approach instead of taking him down when his back was turned. Defiantly an idiot.

"Hello _Edward_" a voice leered in his ear, "I've always wanted to meet you, but I can't say you're as amazing as your reputation..."

"Its FullMetal to you" the teen spat through clenched teeth, turning his head to catch sight of the annoyance. Catching a brief sight of a man yet again in navy uniform, his head was roughly prodded back in its place with the barrel of the gun.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you... not that it matters of course, I was going to finish you off anyway"

The blonde growled in response, biting his lip in anger and frustration.

"What's wrong Eddy?" a mocking voice crated through his eardrums.

"What's wrong?" Ed fumed. He turned sharply and ceased the barrel of the gun with a strong metal hand, raising it above his shoulder. The metal strained as his grip tightened.

"I've had enough of assholes like you getting in my way!!" he grabbed the man's collar roughly, producing a choking sound from him. "I just want some dam sleep already!!"

Pulling the long gun from the soldier's fingers, Ed snatched it angrily and proceeded to smack him full pelt in the head, knocking him out instantly. The blonde smiled as the unconscious being hit the floor with a thud and emptied the device of ammunition and threw it far from reach. He knew he could have pulled off something far fancier if he wanted to, but the teen just didn't have the energy right now.

Turning back towards his destination Ed breathed in deeply through his nostrils, attempting to curb his already sky high temper. Avoiding Roy's smug gaze, the young alchemist grimaced at the feeling of his frail shirt clinging to his back. He came to the conclusion that he needed a very good wash, change of clothing and his poor right foot of metal needed some TLC. But no tender loving care was ever going to remove the mud from the joints in his prosthetics...

"Nice of you to join us" Roy smiled as he inhaled the smoky air, holding back a muffled cough; he knew it was his own work that irritated his lungs. "I thought about coming to get you"

"Now there's a shame..." Ed muttered as he pictured the Colonel trekking across the hazardous field to 'rescue' him, or in other words flaunt his nonexistent talent at the most inappropriate time.

The team proceeded to pace in sync, expect Edward who managed to stumble his way around without falling over, dragging his heavy legs across the pavement and ignoring the sensitivity and stinging of his airways. The row of warehouses loomed over them, casting out the distant artificial light from the cheap lamps. Jean and Roy had no problem navigating themselves in the dark, after all it was this block they had once visited before under similar circumstances.... in the middle of the night. It was a memory hardly mentioned anymore because of the sheer embarrassment. It wasn't every night they went hunting for ghosts.

At last they reached the end of the badly built storage rooms, the rusty doors and hinges falling apart at the seams. Roy wondered if anything would fall apart under his touch. He brushed a gloved hand loosely along the rough brick work until-

"Colonel Sir!" a familiar boomed.

For what seemed like the hundredth time that night Ed swore his heart was close to pounding out of his chest, he felt each beat against his ribs clearly. Clutching a hand to his protesting side and chest the blonde glared at Major Armstrong, who appeared to be as enthusiastic as ever. The Major stood between Fuery and Breda towering over them like a giant.

"Edward! It's been far too long!"

"Don't be stupid, I saw you in the office yesterday..." the teen grumbled, averting his narrowed golden eyes to his smug superior, who appeared to be enjoying his discomfort.

"Something wrong FullMetal?" Roy asked with a smile plastered to his face.

"Nothing" the blonde said through gritted teeth, rubbing at his neck like he'd done so for the past hour, ignoring the concerned looks from the other team members. Not that he could blame them of course. Edward looked as if he'd had more than his fair share of sleepless nights, and lots of them.

"Nothing at all." He lied, turning his gaze to a spot on the floor which had suddenly become interesting.


	19. Helping You

**Me again, just letting you know I'm still alive :)**

**This isn't amazing but I've had a bit of a busy week. Better than nothing, right?**

"Well?" Edward asked after a long pause.

"Well what?" Roy replied with a puzzled expression etched across his features, looking to his subordinate as if the teen had just spoken a foreign language. The blonde in question rubbed his temples weakly in frustration.

"We didn't come here for a chat" Ed said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Quite right FullMetal, quite a bright one aren't you?"

The teen replied with a growl and surrendered to his aching muscles by collapsing into an exhausted heap on the floor, not even battering an eyelid as his head skimmed the brickwork. He was far too tired to complain any further and decided to rest while he still had the opportunity. Not that there was anything pleasant about trying to get some shut eye when the campus was being blown into god knows how many pieces. The loud ringing explosions and fire arms would be forever etched into his memory.

"Well?" Roy asked his subordinates, frowning as he was greeted with a rather unhelpful silence.

"Excuse me _Sir_" Risa said through clenched teeth, "It's rather difficult to conduct a plan due to the given circumstances"

In all truth, they were too tired to function, minds staying to the more important question at hand, when would it end?

Jean watched as Fuery tried to summon the courage to speak, shyly hiding behind Breda, like always. Sometimes Havoc wondered if there was a cause to the man's sheepish behaviour, Ishbal perhaps. Since those many years ago Kain tended to stick to the safest jobs he could do best at, tapping the systems. He couldn't blame him. It was enough to shake even the strongest willed people.

"Spit it out Kain" Jean smiled, watching the man's eyes bulge behind his spectacles.

"Don't be shy now" a noticeable blush tinted his cheeks, his gaze shifting nervously to the floor as the team focused their attention towards him.

"W-we should ..." he paused after another loud bang, the distant flash of flames piercing the horizon of the black and violet sky. "We s-should check east..." he trailed off, beginning to doubt his own thoughts and self confidence sinking back to rock bottom.

"There's hardly been any commotion there... it's a little suspicious don't you think?"

"Let's get moving" Roy smiled; he couldn't help but broaden his grin as he noticed how Edward slouched further down the wall with a loud groan, craning his neck lazily to his superior. He honestly couldn't blame the teen for his lack of enthusiasm. They'd passed the eastern wing on their way to meet Armstrong, which inevitably meant going all the way back again and taking a small detour.

"Something wrong Edward?"

"Nothing" the blonde spat through clenched teeth, pulling himself to his feet. "Everything's just... peachy"

Leaning onto the wall with his right hand, Ed could feel his body protest angrily. Muscles wreathed sorely in agony and the blood hammered demandingly through his veins, ears ringing and head pounding repeatedly. It didn't surprise the teen that he was straying far behind. He had to force himself forward before his colleagues disappeared from sight. Luckily for Ed, Armstrong was incredibly hard to miss.

As team Mustang approached the court the air became thicker, clogged with thick smoke and ash, the black power fell softly like rain. Breda scowled as he brushed the black from his hair, an ugly black smudge appearing on the palm of his hand.

Jean lazily trudged behind not far from Edward, hands in his pockets and a miserable expression plastered across his features. His head throbbed dully, a reminder of each passing second spent listening to the noise and commotion grate painfully through his eardrums.

The Colonel paused as he reached the battered and abused grass, lumps of turf in heaps and mounds across the yard. It was suspiciously quiet. Not a single soul to be seen or heard. A pair of onyx eyes scanned the area with precaution. Roy continued to walk, his boots sinking into the thick mud as he went. Risa and Havoc sheepishly followed Breda, Armstrong and Fuery following without batting an eyelid.

Edward emerged from the dark shadows, growling in frustration as he approached the familiar scene, nursing his sore ribs and grimacing at the sight of his mud caked foot. As amusing as it was to see his odd footprints trail behind him, the teen really had to force a laugh from his pale lips. The team were already nearing the dirty pavement, leaving Ed to walk to the other side alone, hauling his heavy limbs with each ounce of remaining energy. When the blonde reached the body of a familiar man without a gun his lips curled into a smug smile.

"Bastard..." he muttered tiredly with a weak kick to the soldier's bloody temple, cold body rolling aside. The smirk didn't fade, not even when the kick knocked the teen off balance, his body protesting as his heavy limbs neared the floor dangerously. With a few more weak steps, Edward looked at the remaining distance between himself and the pavement, cursing as his wonderful superior began to disappear from view. Another step, his legs buckled, the heavy metal pulling Ed to the ground with a sharp tug.

_As he awoke, Edward was all too aware of the cold ground beneath him, the lumps and bumps of earth digging into the back of his head and spine. The wind whipped at his bare arm and neck, the teen pulled a flesh arm to his chest, cradling it tightly in hope of gaining some warmth, failing miserably. He opened an eye, squinting as the light stung his golden pupil. Scanning the land for any sign of life or landmark confirmed Ed's suspicion. He was lost and confused._

_His memory's were filled with small gaps, not too many, but just enough to frustrate him. Each recent memory blurred, jumping to another event. Remembering his return to the gate certainly didn't answer any questions. Was this London? He sincerely doubted it. There wasn't enough noise or traffic._

_Propping himself up with an arm, the blonde realised he was still wearing his abused black and red attire, ridden with rips and holes, fingers poking through the end of his gloves. A shadow loomed from behind him._

"_Edward?"_

"Edward?" the teen sincerely hoped his mind had quite finished its trip to memory lane for one night. It was becoming rather distracting. He moved his gaze to the smug looking superior looming over him, craning his neck from his collapsed spot on the floor.

"Come to laugh at me?" Ed narrowed his eyes.

"Help you" the Colonel replied simply, "You're lucky I didn't leave you" he smiled.

"You'd be tired too if you weighed as much as me..." the blonde looked shyly to the gloved hand being offered to him, hesitantly taking it in his own. Roy wrapped a strong arm around the teen's waist, holding tightly as they trekked across the uneven ground, a faint blush tinting the Elric's cheeks.

"That's not the first time you've saved my ass tonight..."

"I'll try not to make it a habit" the raven haired man smiled, ignoring the growl emitting from his young subordinate. The moon was at its highest peak, the bright white showering the earth and the sky. It was just as well the night was full moon, especially since the lamps were not fully functioning. Occasionally, there was a flicker or artificial light, followed by the buzz of electricity and darkness. Roy's ebony hair blended nicely with the lack of light. If Ed hadn't been latched onto the man he would have been undetectable.

As the two alchemists approached the eastern block several heads turned to give FullMetal a visual examination. The blonde could have squirmed as several pairs of eyes scanned him from head to toe, lingering at his bruised neck and torso. He cursed as a familiar stinging settled in his chest, clinging to his lungs with each rattled breath. Ignoring the concerned glances Ed tugged the Colonel along with him, determined to keep going forward. He feared if he paused for too long he'd struggle to get moving again.

"Edward, I really must-" Risa was silenced by a single finger.

"Save it" Ed said through clenched teeth, leaning onto the door with a metal hand. The glass strained under the weight, creaking as the teen shifted himself. He craned his neck to the others, who were still gathered on the pavement, the cracked concrete digging into their thick military boots. Without uttering a word the blond turned back and continued to walk, a strong arm supporting him and giving the odd comforting and reassuring squeeze.

"Any idea who's causing this?" Ed asked, stopping as the corridor split into two separate hallways.

"I'm afraid not Sir" Breda replied, "We didn't get much information, the just called us out"

Edward looked to Roy, both nodded in understanding.

"We need to split up" the Colonel looked back at his subordinates, mentally sorting them into two groups. "If where ambushed together it would make things difficult, we can cover more ground this way"

The team looked to one another silently, knowing full well the flame was right. They were far too tired to complain anyway.

"Havoc, Breda and Armstrong, you'll be heading left" a gloved finger signalled. Jean looked pleadingly back at his superior, beginning silently not to be paired with the Strong Armed Alchemist. Roy merely smiled in reply smugly. He couldn't have two injured men on the same side, even if Jean only had a scratch, there was no telling if the damage went further than that.

"Hawkeye, Fuery, you'll be coming with me and FullMetal" he turned to Armstrong's team, "If you see anything give us a sign"

"A sign?" Jean asked dumbfoundedly.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something"

"Nice guidelines..." the blonde muttered, following Roy into the stretching corridor.

"Think he'll forgive me?" Roy smirked.

"I wouldn't count on it" Ed replied as if he had spoken from experience.

**I admit it wasn't the best, but things will start moving now, and I will start posting! I'm an idiot and working on two things at the same time, Ballroom Chores will be released sometime this week : ) Thanks again for reading : )**


	20. Silence

**Just letting you know that I am still alive! I really shouldn't promise quick updates should I?**

**Anyway, enough of me. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing : )**

He stumbled, the hand clamed around his skinny waist tightened in response. Muttering a strong batch of curses Edward had to restrain himself from screaming in frustration. He hated this feeling. Feeling broken and useless.

Injuries he could suffer with, but not dragging everyone else under in the process. That was and had never been Ed's way of doing things. Usually he didn't work well with a team. It had either been himself and Al, or the blonde on his own. Team work was very useful at times, but the communication was irritating. Having to get ideas and movements approved first instead of diving in for the kill was a waste of time in his opinion. The teen could and never would grasp the concept of planning.

Ed's leg began to buckle again, taking him and his superior by complete surprise. There was a growl and a long silence as the young alchemist righted himself, straightening his back and nursing the muscles he tried ever so hard to ignore the pairs of several gazes burning into him. Taking a steady step forwards, the same reassuring squeeze tightened around his waist.

"Are you-"

"Don't," the blonde stopped Roy dead in his tracks. "Ask me how I am, I _dare_ you."

The Colonel caught the golden gaze briefly as Edward stumbled on, footsteps ringing against the tiled floor. He knew he shouldn't, but it was hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy. The teen was forcefully dragging his limbs across the floor tiredly, hauling his heavy weight and pinning his eyes open. He paused for breath, nursing a stitch in his right side and furrowing his brows in frustration.

"I... haven't... felt this bad... for a long time..." he wheezed, cracking an ironic smile. Holding his back, Ed dragged his feet slowly to avoid another close call. He'd done enough falling over for one night.

Risa held the familiar double doors wide open, waiting for Fuery, Roy and a sluggish Edward to walk through. The blonde nodded weakly in thanks and could have groaned at the sight of the approaching office. The door was wide open, but the looming gold nameplate was still highly visible. The mocking letters were etched boldly into the metal and made even Edwards metallic toes curl. It was this same room he had been summoned to many times before, the same poor abused door he kicked and battered on a regular basis, before and after each brief visit. Roy Mustangs office. Colonel Roy Mustang. Ed honestly had nothing against the man's position, but it certainly didn't have a good ring to it. The words didn't roll off of his tongue nicely like any of the others did, and it would always remind him how much authority he didn't have.

"We're taking a break," the raven haired man said adamantly, almost pulling a stubborn teenager through the open door.

"Already?" the teen asked, "We've only been going for ten minutes!"

"You're clearly in no condition to continue."

"Your body says otherwise; now sit down before you collapse-"

He stopped in the doorway, a pair of dark onyx eyes lingering on the awaiting scene before them. The Colonel looked back at the nameplate nailed to the door. It was defiantly his office, the same place he was confined to daily to sign stacks of terrifying paperwork. But it certainly didn't look like it.

Paper littered the floor, filing cabinets on their sides, and a selection of books lay battered and abused in several pieces on the hideous navy carpet. The only items of furniture that remained unscathed and in one piece were the desk and couch (much to Edward's relief). A single document was placed in the centre of the wood, right were the Flame had left it.

Removing an arm from his waist, Roy left Fuery to guide Ed to the comforting leather couch and carefully moved closer for further inspection.

Nothing was damaged _too_ badly, but it was certainly going to take a while to fix things. The Colonel sighed with frustration, muttering curses under his breath as he trod on the badly littered floor, broken glass and splintered wood crunching beneath his feet.

"Well this sure makes life a lot easier..." he groaned, kicking the cabinet as he passed it. All the paperwork would have to be filed again, sorted into alphabetical order, re-printed and approved. The thought was a nightmare alone, but Roy knew there were far more important things to take care of. The ridiculous goose chase around central and his tired and injured subordinates.

"Is anything missing Sir?" Risa asked, searching the room for anything of value absent. "I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of making so much mess without a purpose."

"You'd be surprised," he muttered, "It's almost impossible to tell if something's missing when the place is in such a state... All I can think of is paperwork."

A chuckle emerged from the limp figure sprawled across the couch, Ed hissed as his ribs protested sorely.

"Paperwork?" he said in disbelief, "Are you going senile old man?"

"Not so senile when I'm dragging your injured ass from the curb," Roy smirked as the blondes face fell to a scowl, a pair of narrowed golden eyes emitting a hateful glare from across the room.

"As a matter of fact, there are a lot of people who would jump at the chance to see what's locked up in here, I wouldn't be surprised if most of its missing."

The man smiled despite the grief to come involving the inevitable clearing up. He knew he should be furious, bursting with anger, but he never liked the blasted paperwork anyway, even if he had spent most of his military career with a pen in hand.

Fuery was unsure what to do; fearing trying to help would only make matters worse. Instead, he put his brain into action and began to think. Harder than he had ever done before, about everything, the rebellion, the war, and the Philosophers stone. Were the night's events connected to anything somehow? There was a high chance it could be a mere grudge. Many men would go this far to get even, even if it did mean treason within the military. Since Ishbal there had been a substantial number of incidents ranging from shootings to bombings of cities, and there was nothing anyone could do to prevent them.

As Roy ran a gloved hand across the cold wood of the desk, he was surprised t find nothing had moved since he last been there, not the slightest. Ed's research was still neatly piled in the centre with messy annotations, rough drawings and scribbles bunched together around the pages. It was a miracle anyone could read it; after all, it just wasn't the same writing with a prosthetic hand.

Running a hand through his choppy black locks, the Colonel took the papers and began to skim through them, trying to make sense of everything. It had happened so quickly over the last few weeks, he hadn't quite managed to take everything in. One minute, he'd been comfortably lounging in his office, the next, called out to a crime scene in the early hours of the morning.

Edward grimaced as the tough leather clung to his skin, the smell giving him a minor headache. It was incredibly hard to concentrate like this. His mind had never been so cluttered before. Not even when he'd had to make the most important decisions of his life. The blondes head was buzzing with ideas, places, faces and arrays, all jumbled together messily. There was something. Something important he knew he should remember from the book. He picked his brains in frustration, rubbing his temples and groaning silently in defeat. He couldn't. Not like this. Instead, Ed's golden gaze shifted around the wreckage that was once a pristine office.

The Colonel was reading, quickly scanning through a bundle of files roughly stapled together, just holding the mass of papers together. The teen dismissed the thought of importance and began to look at the messy floor. He paused, and looked back to the report.

Biting his lip in thought, Edward hauled himself to his feet much to his body's protest and swiped the papers from Roy's hands. The raven haired man looked from his empty hands to the young alchemist standing before him, frowning at the teen who was nursing several sore ribs.

"Edward," he called sternly, hoping the tone would send the blonde back to his seat. As predicted, it was going to take much more than that to convince a stubborn Edward.

"Ed, I really-"

The blonde raised a finger to silence the man, without even looking up from his frantic reading.

"FullMetal! I-"

"Hush," the teen snapped getting rather absorbed in the text like one of his intense research sessions. Roy had seen his subordinate in a completely different world with a book in his hands. Trying to distract him proved almost impossible and had severe consequences, as the Colonel had experienced firsthand. Facing the wrath of a pissed Elric was defiantly not the most pleasant experience. The blonde could go hours at a time without stopping for a break, even working into the early hours of the morning.

"Edward, you're in no condition to be walking around, you're supposed to be resting!" Risa lectured, only to be greeted with silence. She doubted Ed was even listening. Before she could speak, Fuery silenced her with a finger nervously, mentally scolding himself for his unusual behaviour. Hawkeye raised a brow questioningly.

"Maybe we should just leave him... he might find something useful..." the man trailed off, gaze shifting to the floor. Risa sighed and vaguely agreed with a weak nod.

The Colonel was stood by the window, watching the distant flashes of red and vibrant orange pierce the deep violet sky. There was almost nothing left of southern headquarters, most of the conflict had battered buildings beyond repair. Fortunately, most of the damage was based on the court and training grounds, which were beaten into bad shape on a regular basis anyway.

It was quiet. Suspiciously quiet. The halls were silent with the exceptional ticking of the clock, and the power inside was down completely.

"What do you hear?" Roy asked as Risa stepped beside him, craning her neck to take a glance at the night's sky.

"Nothing."

"Exactly."

"Defiantly suspicious Sir."

The two glanced at the pacing blonde who was beginning to mutter to himself unconsciously, tracing the arrays with a gloved finger. Edward moved to the door without raising his head from the research, kicking the clutter occupying the floor weakly. Fuery adjusted his glasses and began to stutter, looking wide eyed at the blonde.

"Edward?"

The teen didn't batter an eyelid and stumbled, blindly reaching out a hand to steady himself.

"FullMetal!" Roy called, "What do you think your-"

"Library..." he muttered, "Need to check something."

Ed knew he would be scolded later. Without a doubt Roy would singe his ass and give him another long winded lecture about following orders and being obedient to the military. He'd worry about it later. Right now, the Elric was on a role, and it would take a pretty big distraction to interrupt his deep train of thought. He pretended to ignore the curses emerging from the doorway and smugly made his way down the silent corridor to the library. It wouldn't take long; he knew the place by the back of his hand and could probably walk it blind folded. But in Ed's current condition, that wasn't a great idea.

The teen bit his lip as a twinge of pain cascaded down his spine, the familiar stinging gnawing at his collar bone. Ok. Perhaps this was going to take longer than he initially thought. Leaning against the pale white wall, Ed took a series of deep breaths through his nose, as deep as his lungs would allow him to, wincing at the wheezing sound rumbling deep in his chest. The blonde came to the conclusion that if he'd taken up smoking this was probably what it would feel like. Like a rope being pulled tighter and tighter around his ribs.

With a groan, Edward tried hard to correct his badly slouched spine, dragging his limbs forcefully across the floor, scuffing the tiles as he went.

"Fuery?"

"Yes Sir?" Kain turned to face a fuming Roy, nervously keeping his distance.

"Accompany the 'prodigy' to the library would you? We can't have him collapsing in the hallway..."

Kain quickly left, giving Risa a brief glance apologetically for leaving her alone with their superior in such a dangerous, foul mood. She lowered her head and fought back a sigh.

"What happens now?" she asked looking back to the distant flashes in the sky.

"Honestly?" Roy raked a hand through his black hair tiredly. "I don't know."

Absorbed in his reading, Edward managed to stumble through the double doors in one piece. Squinting at the text from lack of light, his eyes stung in protest and he looked up as a distant door behind him clicked open. He paused; holding a nervous breath as a pair of boots inched closer, clanking against the tiles loudly. It was probably nothing, but after the night so far, it wouldn't hurt to check. Right?

Dismissing the sound as one of his colleagues, Ed released the breath he'd been holding and continued his walk, shifting the weight of his prosthetic arm from one side to another. Rounding the corner, the blonde realised the foreign steps had ceased. His single boot and foot were the only steps to echo through the hall. He stopped and listened. Nothing.

Clutching his research tighter, the paper began to crease. The young alchemist cursed his cowardliness, knowing he should turn back and investigate, or even take cover in a... office.

A golden pair of eyes shifted to the nearest door. The steps grew louder, more frantic, and the blonde didn't think twice before dropping the papers and diving for the door. The door. Jammed shut and locked much to Ed's disappointment. He looked down at his shaking hands. One clap and he's be in. One was all it took.

"No!" he cursed. He promised he wouldn't, not unless he had to. The teen had almost tried to break down the door, but he was running out of time and options. He couldn't break it even if he tried, not in his current condition.

Stumbling further down the hall, the steps were dangerously close. Edwards threw himself into a nearby closet as his heart thumped painfully against his chest. He pried a hand over his mouth to silence the heavy breathing. Unfortunately for Ed, it wasn't enough. A shadow loomed, a single eye peering through a narrow slit in the wood.

"Nice to see you again... FullMetal"

**Sorry for the delay, but the longer chapter makes up for it right?**


	21. Understanding

**Sorry about the cliff-hanger, I'm evil aren't I? I'm not sure about some of the punctuation in this chapter, if you come across any mistakes I would be most grateful if you could point them out : )**

"Fuery?"

"Kain?"

A pair of hands ceased him by the shoulders, shaking him roughly; the panicked voices rang through his ears. Fuery winced as his senses began to emerge from hibernation, the numbness ceasing and beginning to morph into a sharp sting of pain at the back of his head. Blindly moving a hand, a hiss escaped Kain's lips as a pair of cold fingertips prodded his scalp. Wet, the raven locks tangled with the putrid substance.

Cracking open an eye; he could see the bright red substance staining the floor as well as his skin. Blood. Squinting through the darkness as his horrendous vision adjusted, the man could see two relieved faces looming over him, neither belonging to Edward.

Edward! A flutter of panic pounded against Fuery's ribs, Roy's strong gloved hands held him tightly as he tried desperately to scramble to his feet.

"Who did this to you?" the Flames tone was soft but stern. Kain thought carefully, examining his memory. He came to an honest conclusion. He wasn't entirely sure.

Walking. He'd been walking through the dark corridor in search of Edward, listening to the distant sound of footsteps echoing through the silent hallway. After hearing the steps break out into a run Fuery had done the same thing himself, throwing forward one foot after the other, ignoring the throbbing that had emerged from his tired, sore muscles.

After catching his breath, the man remembered the sensation of his stinging airways, the way he'd clutched his ribs while looking down at the tiled floor. The tiles had been littered with several sheets of paper filled with Edward's familiar scrawl. Curiously, he'd bent closer to take a better look, just as a heavy weight had collided with the back of his skull, sending Kain into a pain induced slumber.

Rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the Colonel, who appeared to be getting more and more impatient by the second. Risa gave the Flame a stern glance and helped her injured colleague to sit up, peeling him from the hard, cold floor. After several pained hisses, the man realised his glasses were missing. But still, the absence of his thick black spectacles meant nothing. He could still see the white tiles stained with crimson, dried and disgusting.

"Kain," Risa said softly, "Who did this to you? Have you seen Edward?"

"No..." he hissed, a throb knowing at his skull. A shaky finger pointed to a pile of familiar research papers, untouched since the missing teenager had dropped them.

"Go and look for him," Fuery locked gazes with his superior adamantly, "Don't waste your time with me."

// Edward awoke with a pained moan, furrowing his brows as his head began to pound. Moving only made matters worse, sending a folk of pain through the back of his sore head. The blonde had hit his head many time before, but never anything quite like this. The pounding twisted tight knots in his wreathing stomach. He moved a hand to nurse his poor scalp, only to find that his already sluggish limbs refused to move completely. A thick length of rope cut into his flesh wrist, binding it to the cool metal one. He cursed his stupidity. How could he expect to just get up and walk away after someone went to the effort of knocking him unconscious?

Rope. Odd he thought. Usually in unfortunate circumstances like this, Ed would wake up to find most (if not all) of his automail missing. It appeared whoever was responsible for this had been too lazy to do so. Not that he was complaining of course. It made escape attempts a hell of a lot easier. Hissing at the icy stone floor, the teen bit his lip in thought, skimming through his most recent memory of events. He'd been hiding in a closet like a child playing hide and seek, when a devilish blue eye peered through a narrow split in the wood, gleaming triumphantly.

Before Edward had time to defend himself, a strong fist burst through the door, splintering the wood and ceasing him roughly by the collar. The man raised the blonde inches from his feet and paused when both gazes were level, smirking and smacking the teens head on the white wall with a gruesome crack. The thought triggered a sting, the swell of bruising making itself known to the poor victim, who grit his teeth angrily and called out to the descending darkness.

"Are you in here you bastard?!" his call echoed through the warehouse, fading and fading until once again the silence took hold.

"I know you're in here!" he thrashed against the rope binding his limbs together, ignoring the friction burning against his porcelain skin. The more he moved the deeper it cut, his lip began to bleed, the bitter taste of copper mingling with saliva.

The strong wind howled viscously. The teen was tied up in the darkness, shivering as a sharp blast of air caressed his back, shimmying across the already cold floor. He could barely hear a thing. It worried Ed more than anything else. Was he still in headquarters? There were no obvious clues to the whereabouts of his location. There wasn't even a trace of smoke of gunpowder lingering in air, or the distant sound of gunfire and battling that had dominated earlier.

What if he was too far to be found? It would be a great shame to survive a war and human transmutation only to kick the bucket like this. Unarmed and undiscovered.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the doorway, feet scuffing the floor lazily. The steps ceased as the teen rolled over towards the source of the noise.

"Come here where I can see you!" Ed spat viscously, his gold orbs burning with anger, "You might look a little different, but your eyes are the same! Fucking evil!"

There was a cackled laugh as the man stepped closer, crouching beside the helpless alchemist to give the teen a good view of his eyes, strong and determined.

"I guess it's true what they say," he sang with enthusiasm, "The eyes are windows to the soul."

He got to his feet and began to pace like a caged lion circling its prey.

"Tell me Edward, I'm curious... What does my soul look like?"

"Hell."

The blonde narrowed his eyes and craned his neck to look at his captor, dressed in black from head to toe, a thick mop of short raven hair shadowing his features. He was a little taller, trimmer, and his black locks were looking neater than Ed remember from before. But despite the minor improvements, the man still had his faults, permanent reminders that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Something Ed knew far too well.

The teen sighed in frustration, far too tired to attempt a heated discussion. The rope felt as if it were getting tighter, and the young alchemist feared moving would only inflict more damaged to his injured body.

"Why are you doing this?"

Another howl of laughed made even the blondes metallic toes curl. Archer pulled Edward by the collar, raising him from the floor and putting his face close, an eerie grin etched across the man's scarred features.

"Why?" he exclaimed, as if the answer were completely obvious, "Why don't you tell me clever alchemist."

"Because you're out of your fucking mind, that's why!"

There was a yelp as Edward hit the floor, delivering another smack to his already throbbing head that began to pound in protest, causing him to wince and hiss in pain. Once again, the blonde lay in a helpless heap on the floor. As his head screamed and the blood rang in his ears, Ed wondered if there was a muscle in his body that didn't ache and cry out with exhaustion.

"My mistake," the former Colonel smiled, delivering a single kick to the teen's ribs, successfully knocking the wind out of him.

"Silly me.... thinking you'd understand. But we are in the same circumstances of course."

"What are you-?"

"Scars Edward, _Scars_!" he cried with another enthusiastic kick, resting his weight on the blondes chest and kneeling on the other leg looking mockingly into his eyes.

"You understand don't you?" he said manically, causing the teen to panic. If the man was in such a state, he was capable of almost anything. Anything while the alchemist lay bound with a minor piece of rope.

"You understand how it feels..." his smile fell to a sad frown, gaze slipping to the automail port bolted to Ed's chest and shoulder.

"The way they stare, pretending not to notice. Pretending not to care." Archer raised a pale hand and began to trace the marks etched into his skin. Some were faint, barely visible, but others were much deeper. Not all of them were physical.

"Don't tell me you've never wished you could go back and do things differently," a pair of blue eyes locked with Ed's wide golden ones, "You and I are much more similar than you think."

"Never!" Ed spat through clenched teeth, growling weakly as the foot above his ribs began to sink lower and lower, the bone and cartilage screaming from the pressure. "Don't put me in the same league as scum like you!"

Silence. Ed knew he'd just made a dangerous move, a very idiotic one at that. The silence was gnawing eagerly at his already fraying nerves.

"Tell me Edward," Archer said with a grin, "Have you ever broken a rib before?"

The nervous blonde shook his head in response. Before he could reply feebly, a great weight pounced hard upon his chest, the familiar taste of metallic blood escaping his lips and splattering on the cold floor, dribbling from the corners of his mouth.

Until the darkness consumed his consciousness again, Edward was weary and confused. He was absolutely sure he hadn't broken anything...

**Thank you very much for reading and reviewing : ) I will see you next chapter!**


	22. Mentality

**It's been a while hasn't it? Just letting you know I'm still here : )**

**You might find this a bit of a filler.**

Once again, Jean found himself bored out of his mind, pacing through yet another endless corridor. For each step taken, the distant turning seemed to get further and further from reach. Hands shoved deep in his pockets and spine slouched lazily, he caught a glimpse of his two colleagues. Breda had a similar posture and a matching expression to accompany it. As always, Major Armstrong appeared to be as enthusiastic as ever, despite the grim circumstances. His held was held height and his back straighter than anything Havoc had ever set eyes upon before. Sometimes, he wished he could share the same attitude as the man, and then perhaps he would actually look forward to waking up in the mornings instead of frowning like this. Like he was tired of life and all the things within it.

Rubbing his temples, Jean groaned and turned to the Major.

"All the halls look the same, how do you know we haven't been here before?"

"Sooner or later we'll end up wearing holes in the floor," Breda added with a sigh.

"Now now men, where is your spirit?! I-"

"You know what?" Jean looked to Breda and curled his lips into a false smile for the Major, "I suddenly feel much better."

As soon as the Strong Armed alchemist turned his back the blonde dropped his jaw and ran a hand through his short hair, wincing as his fingertips brushed the matted crimson mess at the back of his skull.

As irritating as Risa and Roy could be sometimes, Havoc wasn't a huge fan of optimism, and would much rather prefer his chances of being roasted or held at gunpoint. Suddenly, the exhausted blonde ceased his thoughts and realised that the end of the hallway was closer than he'd expected. The window revealed the violet midnight sky, beginning to crumble and surrender to the sun, the faint sign of pink and orange appearing in the distant horizon. It was then the man remembered just how long the goose chase had been happening.

It seemed like just hours ago when Jean had been preparing for bed after a late night of drinking. Just as his hand had touched the covers the phone had begun to ring. He'd almost decided not to answer it. There was only one person who'd dare call at that time of night. His superior.

Emerging from the comfort of his inner thoughts, Havoc began to curse. It appeared his mind strayed easily when he was tired. He just hoped it wouldn't happen when he needed his concentration the most.

Just as the three men neared the turning, Breda gave Jean a light tap on the shoulder to gain his attention. Before either could utter a word, a raven haired figure appeared from nowhere and ran breathlessly past them without stopping for a single glance. The three looked to each other, and then back to the familiar man getting further and further from view.

"COLONEL?" Jean bellowed, almost questioning his sanity. Was lack of sleep making him see things?

The Colonel didn't batter an eyelid and continued to sprint, nursing a stitch under his ribs.

"What do we-"

"After him of course!" Armstrong interrupted Breda and quickly began to run himself, calling out to the man in military uniform.

Roy almost tripped when he heard a familiar trio of voices cry out to him. They'd never called him by his first name before. He came to a sudden halt and turned, catching his breath in large gasps.

"What-are-you-"

"You sent us this way. Remember?" Jean grinned cockily, his smirk dropping when the Colonel resumed his running, his subordinates could only follow him in question.

"Why are we-"

"Ed!" Roy panted, "They-have-Ed!"

"Where?"

"Do you think- I'd still- be-looking-if I knew?!" he snapped at the blonde in frustration, ignoring the throbbing protest in his legs. //

"_Dad?" Edward winced at the cracked sound emerging from his lips that was supposed to be his voice, the scratchiness of his throat rubbed like sandpaper. There was a long haired figure perched at his bedside. Bed?_

_The teen could barely see a thing through his badly blurred vision, but the piercing whiteness of the room was defiantly visible. The floors, sheets, even the walls burned his eyes. The thin sheets and mattress itched against Ed's skin, making him shift in discomfort. He hissed. It seemed something in his system was slowly fading from his bloodstream. It had to be a drug of some kind, blood loss didn't feel like this._

_A hand grasped his arm gently._

"_You gave me quite a scare Edward... I was beginning to think you'd never wake up._

"_How long?"_

"_Three weeks..."_

_The blonde was surprised the pain was still so dominant after so many weeks of sleeping it out. He didn't remember it hurting so much the last time, but that was many years ago. Perhaps his mind had become a little hazy since then. He sincerely hoped this would be the last time he lost another limb. It was almost like each time he blinked... another would disappear._

"_Well... at least it wasn't my fault this time," the teen said, gazing down at the empty spot beside his left leg. A tired smile graced his features. Hohenheim gave his son a look of relief and confusion._

"_Something wrong old man?"_

"_It concerns me how you can smile so soon... you're recovering quite quickly."_

"_Could've fooled me."_

_Ed knew what the man meant. He was talking about his mental recovery._

"_You seem to forget, I've been through this before."_

_Hohenheim still couldn't understand how his eldest son managed to speak such words as if they meant nothing. Most men would have been a nervous wreck put in the same unfortunate position. It appeared Edward Elric had emotions of steel._

"_You still keep surprising me," the man smiled, "Even after all these years."_

"_I'll be fine," Ed smiled, locking eyes with his father. After a few years of living together, both blondes were pleased to say their relationship had grown successfully, with the help of Edward's maturity._

"_I've had worse. I'm just glad..."_

"_Glad?" The elder blonde raised a brow, questioning the teen's sanity._

"_I'm just glad they don't have to see me like this."_

_Of course by then, he was referring to his friends in Amestris. Hohenheim knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but give the blonde a look of sympathy, lowering his gaze to avoid a pang of guilt. He only wished he could have been there the first time... when his family needed him._

"_Don't look at me like that," Ed sighed, "I don't need your sympathy."_

_The man looked on silently._

"_I said don't! I swear if I wasn't like this I'd-" he stopped when his father began to laugh._

"_Always been quite the stubborn one haven't you?" (To be continued in a further chapter)//_

His lungs heaved painfully, another spout of chesty coughs starving his body of oxygen. Edward grimaced at the sound. There was nothing healthy about it whatsoever. The wet splatter of blood pooled beneath his head. He had the urge to break free from the restraints and wipe his lips clean.

Opening a pair of hazy golden eyes, the blonde could have sworn it was everywhere; the walls, floor, his clothes, and even the tips of his mellow hair were stained with the disgusting coppery substance. He could feel the panic swell inside of him. The more he thought, the worse his breathing became, ragged gasps of air escaping his think lips between each heave of his aching chest.

Ed began to think. This defiantly wasn't just any cough. Was it the syringe that did it? Poison? How was he going to find an antidote?! The teen bit down hard on his lip as the panic began to rise. He couldn't think about it. He wouldn't.

The deceiving darkness wasn't enough to fool the prodigy.

"Come here... where I can see you."

As a bored looking Archer emerged from the shadows, Ed couldn't help but notice the disappointment plastered across the man's features. He wasn't laughing any more.

"Are you done with me now?" the blonde winced as his chest rattled again, a burning sensation teasing his airways.

"If I said yes would you believe me?" he replied dryly, folding his arms with a sigh, "It's a shame... you're not much use to me in this condition."

"Use?"

"But lucky for you I wouldn't want to waste such a fine specimen..." Archer paused in deep thought, lowering his deep blue gaze to Edwards, lips curling into an eerie smile. His hands were ready to clap.

That was when the Elric really began to panic.

**Was a little on the short side wasn't it?**

**Sorry, I didn't mean for it to be that short. See you next chapter, and thanks again for taking the time to read and review. I wouldn't have done this without you all : )**


	23. Fading Blue

**I wasn't going to post this today but as I have it finished, why not?**

**Thank you for continuing to correct my mistakes, my grammar is improving gradually. All I do ask is that you be polite when you point out a mistake so I don't do it again : )**

**One last thing, is Ed Blonde or Blond? I'm confused as to which word I should use.**

Eventually, the men came to a halt, forced to rest their aching legs and nurse the forming stitches beginning to gnaw under their ribs.

Jean held a hand to his pounding chest and began to take deep breaths, the cold air stinging his throat and heaving his sore lungs. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the blonde collapsed against the nearest wall and ran a hand through his damp locks of short hair. He grimaced. Havoc could already feel the thick navy uniform cling to his torso, the white shirt buttoned tightly to the collar, digging into his neck uncomfortably. Without a second thought he blindly reached for the collar, prying it open with a weak pull.

Jean sighed with relief. He envied Ed sometimes, he really did. The teen had never worn the traditional Military uniform, and yet still managed to keep his job securely. Of course Edward was far too talented for the state to lose over a mere uniform, it was ridiculous how much talent he had.

Jean came to the conclusion that no matter how much he complained, the navy outfit would never disappear from his wardrobe. He'd always known the hideous clothing came with the job; he had no right to complain really. It could be far worse... couldn't it?

Armstrong, Breda and Roy were in a similar position, catching their breaths and leaning deadweight against the cold white walls. It wasn't difficult to notice the frustration etched into the Colonels features. His face was an unnatural shade of white, a pair of piercing black eyes burned with anger and determination.

Roy imagined that he probably looked as bad as he felt, and he hadn't felt so bad for a long time. Despite the exhaustion, the Flame refused to do nothing while his subordinate was in danger. Since the death of Hughes he'd been more adamant than ever before to keep his team safe. He couldn't lose anyone else. He wouldn't, refused. Sometimes Roy wondered if they knew he cared, knew that beyond the stern expressions and the desk that they weren't just his colleagues. They were his friends.

The raven haired man began to move, sluggishly continuing to walk. His legs protested, and Havoc grabbed hold of his arm tightly, tugging him backwards and routing him to the spot.

"Jean, let go of me," Roy said tiredly, batting the man's hand away with irritation. His voice was lacking the usual demand and authority.

"Like hell I will," the blonde muttered, "You need a break, we all do."

"Havoc, I'm going to ask you one more time before I lose my-"

"How do you expect to help Ed like this?! You can't even walk, let alone rescue him!"

The Colonel knew he was right; but still his usual stubborn attitude began to emerge. Turning to walk Roy fought back a growl, "There's got to be somewhere we haven't-"

Before he could finish, a hand hastily covered his mouth, affectively silencing him.

"Shh!" Breda mouthed, biting his lip in concentration as he released the Colonel. He could hear talking, the faint buzz of conversation drifting from the far end of the hall. Whether or not the others could hear he didn't know. He inched forward, motioning for his teammates to follow. When the noise was just about loud enough to hear they paused, holding their breaths as they listened carefully.

"_You'd go this far to make yourself look pretty? I despise you."_

"_Despise? That would be too much to ask for!"_

Roy's eyes widened as he heard the two familiar voices. He couldn't believe it. After searching high and low for what had seemed like hours, the missing teen and the cause of the chaos were just inches from him. Out of all the possible suspects that had vaguely passed through his mind, Archer defiantly hadn't been one of them. How was it possible?! He was supposed to be dead, and the Colonel had watched the man fall to the ground cold with his very own eyes. He'd seen the colour leave that single blue eye, heard the metal collide with the floor before collapsing from blood loss and exhaustion.

Running a hand through his hair, Roy really thought he wasn't beginning to lose his mind. He tried to move whilst the others were distracted, but found himself caught in the tight grip of Major Armstrong. It seemed it wasn't just Roy that was doing the caring. //

"Can you blame me for not wanting to look like this?" the man said coolly, drumming his fingers on his arm and pacing, as if he had all the time in the world. Ed tried to keep him talking, hoping it would give him enough time. He just need a little longer...

"Some people would call that vein," the blonde spat, trying desperately to ignore the irritating tickle in his throat. There was a toe curling laugh.

"Of course, you'd know all about being vein wouldn't you Edward?"

As soon as the words left Archers mouth the blonde knew what was coming. He cursed himself for not expecting it sooner. It was like pulling the wings from an insect and watching it struggle, Archer knew exactly what he was doing. Ed knew what made him tick, just like all the other psychopaths. Power.

Despite seeing the former Colonel as a mad man, the young alchemist knew the man was relatively normal compared to most criminals. He was intelligent, something that was not often found in most prison inmates, however a majority or killers were undoubtedly smart. Ed may have only been with the Military and Army for a few years, but he'd certainly seen his fair share of smart minded people. If only they could have put their knowledge to a good use. Edward was certain that if this was the case, the world would be a better place.

"How do you have the nerve to call me vein," Archer snapped, ceasing his pacing and locking gazes with the golden eyed teenager, lifting the young man's chin with his foot until Ed was looking.

"Correct me if I'm wrong _Elric_, but I believe it was you that signed your life away to the state to regain your limbs, was it not"

The raven haired maniac grinned when the blonde's eyes widened in shock and confusion. Other than team Mustang and close friends of the Elric's, no one was to know about the sin Edward and his brother committed all those years ago. Information falling into the wrong hands would undoubtedly land both Elric's in serious trouble. Law breakers in Amestris were punished, regardless whether they were famous or talented, and Ed would be no acceptation.

"Who... Who told you?!" Ed demanded angrily. How on earth did Archer know something like this? A swell of panic began to flutter in his stomach. If Archer knew, who else knew of their secret?! The pale man ignored him and resumed his pacing.

"WHO TOLD YOU?" the blonde cried, falling into a fit of pained coughing, wincing as another douse of crimson liquid passed through his lips.

"That would be telling now wouldn't it?"

The sound of electricity buzzed, humming loudly as the lights flickered. For the first time Ed could see the small window close to the ceiling, it being so high up made it impossible to reveal his location. He could see the sky, the disappearing blues and violets mingling with the pink and orange sunrise. There was a door on the far side of the room, open a mere fraction, just enough for the teen to see yet another white wall.

Suddenly, the room filled with light. The darkness disappeared, revealing an empty room and a concrete floor. It looked like a typical cellar, a single small window and a cracked floor.

Now Ed could see the pool of blood sprayed beneath his cheek, and the deadly pale man who was craning his neck to look up at the approaching daylight, his dark hair clashing with his unusually pale form. The teen had only met the man a few times before, but he could still remember the same white skin as clear as day, the zombie looking figure with piercing eyes in an orderly looking uniform.

The rope bit into Edward's skin as he struggled, the more he moved, the tighter it became. He was sure he could do it; he was so close to-

A pair of golden eyes widened in horror, scanning the floor nervously. Ed looked around as far as he could see. He was lying in the centre of a large chalked array, a familiar one he'd seen in photographs many times before. Another cough escaped his lips, Archer looked over. Walking steadily across the floor he avoided the intricate lines and curves to avoid smudging the array.

Edward panicked. He could hear the strain of his automail against the rope, fidgeting nervously he attempted to move backwards, away from the approaching man.

"I'm sorry Edward," the man's false frown turned into a wide grin, "I can't wait any longer. It seems I've become a little impatient after four years..."

**Another cliffy. I bet you all really love me right now.**

**Sorry its short again, I hope you don't mind too much : )**


	24. Nerves

**Just letting you know I haven't forgotten about this story, and I'm not dead.**

**I leave school in 2 weeks to sit my final exams so I am a little busy, updates will be a late but I definitely won't forget about them : )**

There was a clap. The familiar buzz of alchemy filled the air, a flash of blinding light burst through the small window and the open fraction of the door. The blues and whites glowed like a burning fire, winding down the narrow stretch of corridor, twisting and turning, bouncing off the white walls.

Roy panicked inside, his onyx eyes widened in horror as light obscured his vision. Was he too late?! The fluttering in his stomach increased more and more as questions began to clutter his mind. Ignoring the persistent calls from his team mates, Roy reached for the door, prying it open with his gloved fingertips.

The glowing suddenly stopped. The hall became dim once more and utter silence filled the room, except for the harsh breaths wheezing from the dark corner. The door creaked slowly open, a loud protest squeaking from the hinges. The array was etched into the concrete floor, a hazy waft of smoke shifting lazily from one side of the room to the other.

Looking down at both his hands in realisation, Edward could barely utter a curse while his lungs were so full and poisoned with smoke. Taking a shuddering breath, the teen was knocked off his feet as a foot collided with his chest. Before Ed could defend himself, the wall came too quickly. There was a smack as his spine and head collided with the brickwork, effectively knocking the wind out of him.

A heaving cough escaped his lips, a splatter of crimson seeping through the blond's metallic fingers. For a moment, he lay there, breathless and slumped against the hard wall. A triumphant huff of approval emerged from Archer as the teen laboured his lungs, clawing at his chest weakly. Looking back at the mismatched pair of hands, Ed seethed with anger.

"You... you made me... you bastard."

Something was defiantly wrong. The young alchemist knew a simple clap shouldn't take this much energy out of him, but somehow he knew it was to be expected. After all, how many years had it been since he'd last felt that powerful energy surge at his fingertips? It was no surprise that an alchemical rebound knocked the stuffing out of Edward.

Archer began to walk over, an unusual smile plastered across his gaunt pale face. The blond found it unusual for the former Colonel to keep himself so composed. Wasn't he supposed to be angry? Taking a final stride, the man towered over the teen, curled his hand into a tight fist and aimed for the exhausted heap on the floor.

The Elric prepared to move, hazy golden eyes focused on that single fist in deep concentration. So deep in fact he hadn't noticed a figure lurking in the doorway.

Before Archer could deliver a punch, he stopped, dropping the arm back to his side. His head turned sharply as the door slammed open, a livid looking Colonel standing in silence, gloved fingers raised and ready to click. He said nothing, a burning gaze flaring at the man staring back. The hurried footsteps of Havoc, Armstrong and Breda soon followed, stopping behind their superior dead in their tracks.

"Don't move," the Colonel said firmly, closing in on the man like a lion ready to pounce. The sound of thick footsteps pierced the nervous silence as the pair of heavy military shoes crossed the concrete floor. The heavy breaths of the blond alchemist were louder than any footstep; Roy couldn't ignore the unhealthy rattling of Ed's chest.

Edward growled in frustration as an evil laughed escaped Archers lips, the howling laughter was enough to send shivers down his spine. The man didn't seem concerned in the slightest, not even as he was greatly outnumbered and unarmed. It worried him.

The Flame couldn't deny he was a little nervous; of course it was only a little, Roy Mustang was no girl. His brain was experiencing slight confusion. The man in front of him was supposed to be dead. He'd seen him die... hadn't he?

"Roy!" Archer cried dripping with false enthusiasm, flinging his arms open as if he were about to embrace the man. "I thought you weren't coming! Sorry for starting without you..." the words faded to laughter, the blue eyed villain ran a hand through his black hair as if he didn't have a care in the world. Suddenly, the smile dropped, a dangerous scowl dominating his features.

"Release my subordinate."

"No," the man shrugged childishly, looking back at the young alchemist who was trying to peel himself from the hard floor. The blond ignored the stares and worried glances coming his direction and dug his nails into the brickwork, pulling himself shakily to his feet. No matter how many times he was beaten, Edward was determined to keep walking forward without looking back. Things weren't peachy admittedly, but moping around on a cold floor was making his ass numb, and he couldn't watch his superior beat around the bush any longer. He was thankful that the throbbing in his head had passed. That was one less thing to worry about...

Narrowing his eyes, Ed glared at the Colonel.

"Took you long enough..." he muttered.

The man was quick to answer back, saying firmly, "This wouldn't of happened if you wasn't so stubborn. How hard is it to rest when I tell you to? Tell me Edward, what was going through your head when you decided to go traipsing down that corridor?!"

"I found him didn't I?" the teen replied calmly, rolling his eyes.

"That's not the point!"

Archer appeared to be rather amused at the usual quarrelling between the two alchemists, hands in his pockets casually as he looked from one person to the other.

"I hate to interrupt," he leered, "but I really must be getting on."

Glaring daggers at the man, Roy raised his fingers in hesitation. Of course he wanted nothing more than to roast Archer alive, he'd gladly watch him burn into a blubbering mess on the floor. But there was something he couldn't do, and that was the risk of injuring his valued subordinate even further.

"Can you walk?" he asked the blond, who tried moving his legs in response. They were working finer than ever, not even a loose wire or screw. The problem wasn't mechanical. Ed was too tired to haul the great weight unaided; the metal only pulled him closer to the floor.

"Just..." he lied, digging his nails into the brick to keep him from tumbling over.

Before he could blink, Archer was aware of a hand lunging for his throat. The fist skimmed his neck and he caught it in a tight grip. The Colonel grit his teeth as the man squeezed tighter, the bones wreathing under the strain in agony.

"That was very brave of you _Roy_," a voice whispered mockingly in the Flames ear, "Do you remember what happened the last time we met?"

Roy froze. There was no way he could forget. Turning to the scarred face of Archer, his black eyes lingered on a single scar. A deep burn covered the man's neck, crawling up the side of his left cheek. It defiantly wasn't pleasant in the least, like a splatter of deep pink and raw red on a crystal white canvas, the pale skin marked with gashes and burns. The former dog of the military raised a hand and began to trace the markings, smirking as Roy stared.

"Do you like it?" he smiled. When Mustang didn't answer his face dropped, an angry scowl taking shape. Roy thought it was odd how the man could instantly change from one extreme of mood to the other, like a sudden change in the wind.

"Do you?!" he yelled, "Look at what you did to my face!"

Smack. A burning fist of fury collided with Roy's left cheek, sending him jolting backwards into his gathered subordinates. Archer marched over and roughly ceased him by the collar, ignoring the threats from Armstrong who tried to pry the man from Roy. His piercing blue eyes stared long and hard, a burning fire of hatred reserved specially for the Colonel.

For a moment, Ed felt sympathy for the man, he really did. Despite the trouble he'd caused, Archer was just as human as the rest of them, the same emotions and fragile conscious. Edward of all people knew what it was like to be self conscious, aware of each pair of eyes staring curiously. There had been many days the young alchemist had wanted to escape his fate, the price of messing with the gate. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Archer to hate his reflection. It was undoubtedly damaging to his blond was lucky that he could hide his faults, unlike the other man.

It all made sense now. The arrays. They didn't have a hidden complex meaning, the one Ed had been looking for day and night for weeks. There were no subliminal messages or clues. The man simply wanted his pride back. The one Roy had cracked the moment he'd snapped his fingers those years ago.

The mad pal faced man clung to Roy like an animal ceasing its prey, merely scowling as Jean clouted him with a gun. The blond had tried his best to aim, his efforts were useless. The bustling of people made him hard to target. As much as the man deserved a bullet, it wasn't worth the risk. He was sure his colleagues would never forgive him for a careless mistake.

A hand ceased Archer by the scruff of the neck and sent him crashing to the concrete floor on his back, a pissed looking blond looming over him.

"Are you telling me, that I lost sleep over something stupid like this?" the teen breathed calmly through his nose, a rattle beginning to emerge from his lungs again. "Because you can't be a man?"

**It could have been better, but I it could have been worse.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing : ) See you next chapter.**


	25. Cowards

**Once again I have to apologise for the lateness, thank you for your reviews and kind comments, it makes it all worth the while :)**

There was a smack, and Frank Archers left cheek began to burn, the print of a metallic fist began to form on his porcelain skin. It appeared FullMetal wasn't finished just yet, even if it meant injuring himself in the process to get the job done.

Roy couldn't count the number of times Ed had been in and out of hospital. It was impossible to tell from the top of his head, either that or his age was catching up with him.

It was the teen's stubborn attitude that was always getting him into trouble. Edward pushed himself well beyond his limits and continued to batter and abuse his poor body until it couldn't fight any longer. He would always keep going no matter how long it took. His excuse was that he was used to dealing with pain, and that he could withstand it to a higher level than most people.

It had been that way ever since Roy could remember.

/_ Once again the Colonel found himself waiting patiently in a hospital ward. The air reeked of disinfectant and a large concoction of various chemicals used to cover the hideous odour of sickness and death._

_No matter how far the medicine world had come, hospitals were still and always would be associated with the loss of life. People who went into these places were in far from fit condition, it was understandable why Ed wasn't too keen on spending the night in these places. The thought of masked doctors and nurses butchering an unconscious victim like a piece of meat wasn't flattering in the slightest._

_Roy wasn't squeamish in the slightest. He'd watched people become severed by bullets, he'd felt the splatter of someone else's blood cling to his cheeks, but that was mild. Mild compared to the prodigy awaiting him. He couldn't imagine what it was like to raise the dead, feel your own limbs being torn from you one by one. It was unreal._

_Edwards life was like fiction, a twisted tale that should stay written and bound safely in a book. How many people could say they attempted human transmutation as children and survived? State alchemist at the age of twelve? The military certainly was no preschool. The Elric had been judged too many times to count because of his young age. It had been jealousy. Many people still couldn't accept a child had taken and succeeded at a job they'd trained years to get._

_The ward was silent. Roy's boot steps echoed off the tiled floor, the white walls blinding his eyes. A quiet blond alchemist lay still beneath the thin covers, the bulge of his prosthetics as clear as the summer sky._

_It wasn't natural. The boy looked tiny compared to his limbs, the large bulk of metal looked as if it could break him in two. However his muscular chest showed he was more than capable of using automail, even if he was just a child. Not all kids could say they were this ripped._

_Ed didn't even glance at the man as he stood at his bedside, looming over him with a familiar stern expression plastered across his face. Roy's narrowed onyx eyes gave nothing away, accept perhaps he was tired and wanted this to be over._

"_Are you going to bother reading my report or skip straight to the lecture?" the Elric muttered, gazing out of the window and watching the day unfold. It was the peak of summer in Amestris, and the sun was scorching the earth like hot coal. All the other kids Ed's age were running wild in the unbearable heat, while he was stuck in hospital, an IV taped to his wrist._

_He watched the clear liquid bubble through the clear tube. It passed the time, and that's all that mattered. It was obvious to anyone that the young alchemist was itching to get back on his feet and cause havoc once again. Not that he intended to cause trouble of course... The blond was a magnet for bad luck, whether he wanted to be or not._

"_This is the last time FullMetal," the Colonel warned sternly, "This is the last time I cover your back, do you understand?"_

"_Never asked you to in the first place..."_

"_That's not the point; you could at least show some gratitude."_

"_I'll show you fucking gratitude you-"_

"_Enough."_

_The stubborn raven reached for the clipboard perched at the blond's bedside and began to skim through the pages with a single gloved hand. It was all too familiar, bruising, lacerations, internal-_

"_Internal bleeding? I only asked you to lay low and do some research!"_

"_It's hard to 'lay low' when you're a walking freak show..."_

_Roy knew better than to dig any deeper. He felt a pang of sympathy for Ed._

"_Why can't you just stay in one piece for more than five minutes?" the Colonel sighed, and ran a hand through his black hair. "Edward."_

_Ed looked up from the bed at his superior's unusual choice of words. It was rare for the man to call FullMetal by his first name._

"_I know it might not seem like it at times, but I do care you know."_

_A faint blush tinted Roy's cheeks as Ed's lips curled into a smile, a cocky grin. He was certain the blond wasn't going to drop the incident anytime soon. It was perfect blackmail material. Who knew the Flame could be so caring?_

_Ed remained silent. He didn't have to say anything; the smirk plastered across his face said it all. /_

Archer's eyes narrowed dangerously as he began to fume with anger. He'd stayed patient for far too long, now, his temper was wearing thin. Extremely thin, like a fragile dam about to break. All it took was a small push from the blond to release the floods that came surging like a wild beast through the man's veins. He could feel it in his blood, pumping vigorously around his body beneath the porcelain skin holding him together. It was the most Frank Archer had felt alive in years.

He felt brave and... powerful. Powerful enough to conquer the world if he wanted to. The pain in his cheek began to numb, all that remained was the growing bruise that burned to the touch.

Archer climbed to his feet and turned to the window. The night was almost over. All that separated night from day was the cloudy concoction of light and dark, the blues and pinks of the sky were beginning to dominate the thick violet coat and shield it from view.

Time was of the essence. He had to do it now, before it was too late.

"Such a shame I have to do this the hard way," he growled with irritation, "the others were much more cooperative."

Edward laughed in repulsion, images of the deceased flashing through his mind. The innocent victims like lambs to the slaughter. Of course they'd given in. They were so young and naive.

"You make me sick," he spat, "They were just kids!"

"Not much older than yourself I believe."

"I see you did your research," Roy glared, returning the evil glare the man was casting in his direction. "I guess you had something to do with the trainees that went missing."

Click. A flame sparked from his gloved fingers, narrowly avoiding Archer and catching the hem of his shirt. It was risky getting close. He was a madman, and his combat skills weren't bad either, enough to do damage at least. But he could never give Roy a run for his money, even if it was tough competition.

"They were far too good to be dogs," Frank locked eyes with Edward and began to walk closer, talking between each slow step, "I remember the screaming-and the pleading...-cowards. Wouldn't have lasted a minute anyway, I did you all a favour!"

He swung at an unsuspecting Havoc, who was rummaging his pockets for bullets. Before Jean knew what hit him, a fist did. The blond stopped himself from crashing to the hard floor by clinging to Breda, nursing his freshly bleeding nose. Frank smiled.

"I hear ice is good for the swelling."

Jean winced at the feeling of blood trickling through his fingers, the bone moved beneath his touch. After all the years he'd spent serving the state, he'd never broken anything, just the occasional bruise or cut. Tonight, it appeared luck wasn't on Jeans side.

"They weren't like you..." Archer purred looking back to the blond alchemist, "Too noisy... too weak. They surrendered so easily..."

Ed had heard enough of the man's sickening flattery, and gave him a well deserved and unexpected kick in the shin. The raven growled as the metal collided with his leg.

Even such a minimal attack left the Elric feeling drained. He felt tired and heavy, but there was no pain. Not even a sting as his lungs heaved, jerking his ribs with each ratting breath. Ed was running out of energy, drastically. Each attack was getting sluggish and weaker, less and less enthusiasm behind it. It was becoming a chore.

It was odd. Archer wasn't fazed in the slightest when the blond delivered another blow to his shin. The pain should have been unbearable. He didn't flinch, not even a hiss or a yelp escaped his lips.

Roy watched carefully, thinking. All it took was brief observation for him to reach a conclusion. Frank wasn't dodging. Not even a flinch as he saw a metallic fist inching closer and closer to his already bruised face. Flinching was a natural reaction, it just happened. It wasn't something you were supposed to think about first.

The Colonel wondered how it was possible to switch it off so easily, like a light. Archer didn't even care that he was being thrown around like a lifeless doll, not even as his skin began to blacken and swell. There was something, something Roy had to check.

Click. A flame for distraction, a weak ball of flames to catch him off guard. With a thump, Frank hit the wall, arms pinned above his head and a pair of curious black narrowed eyes looking deep into his.

"You've taken something." The Colonels subordinates looked on as if the man had spoken a foreign language, and Jean... he wasn't really concentrating. He appeared to be occupied with the task of fixing his nose.

"Look at his eyes!" Roy insisted. The man's blue eyes were different, pupils as wide as dinner plates. They were darting from one side to another, cloudy and sharp.

"I see your age has finally caught up with you, you delusional-"

Smack. Roy smiled with satisfaction as he gave Archer another red cheek to match the other. Frank returned the smile and escaped the Colonels grasp, elbowing him in the stomach.

It happened too quickly for Roy Mustang. Before he could move, the glimmer of steal caught his black eyes.

"EDWARD!"

The blond turned as he was called, greeted with Archer wielding a Swiss army knife. Blasted things, useless at everything else accept this. There was no scream. Not a single sound.

Ed looked down at the crimson pouring from his thigh. He hadn't even felt it go in.

Roy looked. A pair of wide golden eyes looked back. Cloudy and sharp.

**This was really late wasn't it? I've never left an update this late before. I apologise for any mistakes in advance. Next chap will have more action from the others. Thank you for staying patient : )**


	26. Always

**This story will be coming to an end you for reading and reviewing, and for being so patient! It makes writing it more enjoyable :)**

Edward could feel the hot, sticky flow of crimson running down his thigh, the usual black leather attire clinging to his skin. It was all too familiar, that gruesome feeling.

There had been numerous times when the blond had bled like a tap, running like a river, cascading over his body like rain. Most people under similar circumstances would panic, buckle under the strain and fall off of the edge.

Not Ed. He remained as calm and collected as always and simply looked back at his superior with a questioning look of uncertainty. He had a nervous feeling he knew what Roy was thinking. His stomach was plagued with nerves, the feeling should have been unbearable, but it wasn't. Despite the busy bundle of unfolding events being thrown at the young alchemist, he could still function as fully as ever. He knew there was a timid teenager inside of him that knew what the Colonel was thinking, he knew it existed, and kept it bound under lock and key.

Ed hoped he was wrong, hoped he was just jumping to conclusions and being irrational, paranoid and foolish. The black gaze lingered, and looked deep into his golden orbs as if they were looking into his soul, like watching something through a clear window.

Were eyes really windows to the soul? Roy sincerely hoped he was wrong. If that's what his subordinates mind was like at the moment (cloudy), he could just groan at the thought of the aftermath to come.

Two intoxicated men on God only knows what substance, were in extremely foul moods. The situation wasn't bound to end well, and the Colonel was no expert. He knew them both well enough to predict a suitable outcome. The room and occupants would soon be in pieces unless something was done. Roy looked on. The blond looked back, wide eyed and deep in thought.

They were both waiting, for something, anything to break the silence. It didn't take long. Ed battled with his lungs for another wheezing breath, a look of deep annoyance etched into his features. He felt like he'd been a chain smoker for the last 10 years of his life. It didn't feel too good in the slightest.

Taking one last glace at Roy, Ed lowered his gaze to the metal piercing his skin. Ignoring a stern glare from his superior, he wrapped his flesh fingers around it tightly and pulled, as if it were nothing. He felt nothing but the cold metal through his stained glove.

The eerie laugh of Frank Archer filled their ears, like the screech of nails running down a chalk board, dragging... and dragging irritatingly. Havoc and Breda welled in despair silently; Armstrong... had an unusual frown upon him. Rolling his sleeves to the elbow, he stood beside Roy, after all, the Colonel and Ed weren't the only alchemists present.

The Major had always frowned upon violence, ever since he could remember. Although war and violence were a regular occurrence in the military, Alex never found his job any easier. He had once naively thought that perhaps as the days went by, the sight of blood and destruction wouldn't faze him in the slightest. Years had passed, and Armstrong couldn't watch Edward clasp a hand over his bleeding leg, the crimson dripping through his fingers. Anger raged inside of him, hands curling into tight fists. It had been a while since the Major had last flexed his muscles, he couldn't refuse an opportunity to show Frank what he was made of.

With a single swing his colossal fist descended onto the concrete floor, brass knuckles creating an enormous crack. The ground split into fragments, only stopping when it reached the walls.

Roy was recovering from shock as Alex approached the man. The loud collision beside him had defiantly come as a surprise, his heart pounded vigorously against his ribs. The fight quickly escalated, shards of brick and concrete soaring through the air, moulding into different shapes and sizes after the single touch of a fist. The Colonel knew he should be relieved, confident in the man; after all, Armstrong was just as capable as anyone else. However a part of Roy was worried. If he let the Major get too carried away there wouldn't be a building left, just a pile of rubble and the corpses of several men, including himself.

"Mustang!" Breda called, motioning for the man to come over. Reluctantly, the raven turned his back on the unfolding battle and gave his subordinate a look of curiosity. Breda opened his mouth to speak, but was shortly interrupted by the loud clash of a demolished wall.

"MAJOR!" Havoc cried, "Be careful! You'll bring the whole place down!"

Jean soon expected the man to apologise in his usual enthusiastic fashion. Not this time. Instead, the Major looked at the destruction surrounding him, and then to the grinning criminal who stumbled on a segment of brick. He narrowed his eyes at the mocking pair of blue ones looking back.

"Why don't I show you why they call me the Strong Armed alchemist?"

Frank displayed an irritating grin that far surpassed Roy's.

"Where are you going?" After taking a step forward, the Colonel felt someone tug at the back of his -collar, bringing him several steps back with a sharp yank. "We need to-"

There was another crash, the military dogs found themselves sprayed with dust.

"I need to-" Roy was interrupted by the flash of alchemy, and the loud rumble of the earth shifting beneath his feet.

"I think the Major has it covered," Jean frowned, observing the state of his uniform. The hideous, vibrant navy had been stained to the last stitch, smeared with dust, dirt, blood, and had the occasional tare.

It was embarrassing. Embarrassing that he felt so drained, and yet he'd barely lifted a finger.

Edward wasn't a quitter, everyone knew that. He appreciated concern, he really did. The blond knew Alex meant well, but it still irritated him hugely, irritated him because he hadn't finished, and wouldn't be until Frank could barely move a muscle.

The thought of killing the man had briefly crossed his mind. It had disappeared as soon as the thought had occurred. Edward refused to lower himself to the man's level; surely killing him would make Ed just as bad?

He watched Roy talking to Breda. He wondered, how did the Colonel cope after Ishbal? Roy was a man who rarely showed weakness, he valued his reputation far too much. It wasn't healthy. Then there was Ed. The young alchemist knew how death could affect people. He'd come dangerously close to killing his brother when they were both younger. The experience had chilled him to the core, lingered in his dreams, and would forever remain with him in memory and as a scar.

Then there had been the incident in Liore, and the death of Edward in London. Although he had been told he wasn't responsible for the incidents, the guilt still clung to his conscience.

The blond watched.

Alex remained as confident as ever, flexing his muscles and showing Archer exactly what he was made of. The raven was ecstatic, clapping his hands and transmuting anything he could, sending it flying in the Majors direction.

It didn't take long for the teen to notice. Frank wasn't aiming. He had no intentions of fighting them. He was waiting, but for what? /

"The sleeve."

Roy raised a brow curiously at his subordinate, questioning his sanity. Breda was a smart man; the Colonel didn't doubt that for a second.

"Sleeve?" Roy asked, confused.

"The left one."

The raven stared blankly.

"Just look would you?"

Look was exactly was Roy did. For a moment, he wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for. Then, he saw it, a circle on the cuff of the man's shirt, a thin white one, almost entirely invisible. If Breda hadn't mentioned it, he doubted his onyx eyes would have. Breda was a genius, but Roy didn't have to tell him that. He was smart enough to figure it out himself of course.

"Maj-" the Colonel called to Alex, but found a hand quickly clamped over his mouth. Breda. Intelligent or not Roy was beginning to lose his temper with his subordinate, very quickly.

"Are you insane? We can use him as a distraction!"

The raven could have snapped back, but he didn't. He merely nodded silently and waited for the perfect opportunity, eyes darting back and forth as he followed the two fighting figures. The Majors strength was no exaggeration. The Flame found his mind boggling.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered, "There are five of us."

"Losing your touch old man?" Edward smiled cockily, knowing he'd hit a nerve. He may have been out of his mind, but he still had the time to casually insult the man. Always.

"He's not even trying," the blond said confidently, "He can't feel a thing, no wonder it's taking so long."

Roy found himself worrying. There was so much he didn't understand, confused him. He'd known Ed for a long time, and knew that look. Knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Edward, don't-"

A finger silenced him.

"You worry too much. Anyone ever tell you that?"

_/ The phone rang loudly; an irritated looking Colonel glared at the shrieking object and pulled the wire from the wall with a yank. His onyx gaze shifted from the object to the figure relaxing on the black couch. A warm smile beamed back, just like always._

_Adjusting his glasses, Maes Hughes gave his friend a look of concern, eyes narrowing._

"_Something bothering you Roy?"_

'_Yes,' Roy thought, 'Were do I start?' _

"_Nothing." He wondered how Maes could always remain so... enthusiastic. Everything about the man was cheerful and welcoming, from his warm green eyes to the permanent grin etched into his features._

"_Don't lie to me buddy." Maes was now stood in front of Roy's desk, studying the man curiously. "I can see the look in your eyes."_

'_Is there anything you don't know?' Mustang thought. The man belonged to investigations, without a single doubt. The Colonel often wondered if Maes knew his mind often liked to work outside the office._

"_Is this about Edward?"_

"_It's been five weeks now!" Roy sighed in frustration, "Five weeks and we haven't heard a thing!"_

"_Awww, are you worried? Who knew the Flame alchemist had a soft spot after all!"_

_Roy glared._

"_Come on Roy! You know Ed; he's like... a dog. When he's bored he'll come back."_

"_And what if he doesn't?"_

"_He will, just wait and see. You worry too much..." /_

Ed looked his superior in the eye, gold flaring like a fire with determination, like always.

"Don't interfere, you'll only get in the way. I know what he wants."


	27. Forgiven

**I know what you're thinking. It's about time!**

**Warning: Long shot is way too long. I only planned on it being a paragraph but as I wrote it just kept getting longer and longer.**

Roy watched reluctantly as the blond disappeared further and further from view, hobbling over the chunks of brick and concrete littering what used to be a smooth floor. His onyx eyes could just see the familiar mop of gold through the cloud of thick dust lingering in the air, surrounding him like a cloak, mingling with his oxygen.

The Colonel soon realised it wasn't the dust at all clogging his lungs. It was worry, the air was thick with it, pounding from his heart and flooding his head. He had faith in his team and always would, without a doubt. Why was this so different? They'd dealt with far worse before, yet his nerves were still sharp and weary.

Ever since Roy could remember, he'd always seen the worst of everything. The people he'd meet, the situations he was landed in, he could only see the bad traits, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel for him at all. It was people like his subordinates that he couldn't see darkness in at all, any of them. Roy had known after just a single meeting that they were all genuine, people who he could confidently trust his life with.

They weren't like him, the 'hero' of Ishbal. Perhaps it he surrounded himself with these wonderful people because he had such little faith in himself. People that could make the world an undeniably better place like Edward.

The teen was undoubtedly strong, probably more than the Colonel himself, who had years of military experience. It still didn't stop Roy from worrying. Even the strongest men could lose a battle, Ed was no exception.

"Edward, please just let me-" the blond raised a finger.

"If you get hurt from interfering, don't come crying to me."

The raven frowned; Ed could see the concern plaguing his features.

"Please, just trust me."

The Colonel gave a look of confirmation to the others, who nodded silently in response.

Despite the adrenaline pumping through his veins, and the foreign substance lingering in his blood, Edward felt ecstatic. He felt like nothing could touch him, like he could do anything without failing. Frank looked him in the eyes with his glaring blue orbs. They both knew the battle was almost over, he knew what Ed was thinking, his small smile confirmed it.

It was a matter of waiting, waiting for Ed's suspicions to be proved correct.

The chalked array on the floor had been long destroyed amongst the chaos, the pieces were everywhere. Alex and Roy had been looking for a chalk, anything the man could write with, aiming for his arms to stop them from working, too distracted to think.

Being open minded was everything. It could be the difference between life and death. Frank didn't need anything to write with. But how could Edward prove it? He knew it was a long shot, know it sounded ridiculous. No one would believe him, so he **had **to prove it.

The blond watched Franks pale hands, his long, slim fingers. He used to work with investigations as Hughes replacement, not a state alchemist. Yet if Ed's theory was correct, how was he able to perform it? It took years of hard work and research to learn the basics. There was only one thing that could have helped him.

There was just one thing he didn't understand. Why had he kept this a secret for so long? A last resort? A surprise?

"Something on your mind, FullMetal?"

"Yeah. Why am I still here?"

A metallic fist grabbed Archer by the collar, moving to his throat. He remained still, wide eyed and grinning.

"Why?" the blond demanded, anger surging through his veins like a wild beast, temper flaring.

"I have no idea what you mean," he smiled, even as the metal hold tightened further, a dark bruise trailing across his pale skin. Ed knew the man could barely feel a thing, but it didn't matter. Knowing it would hurt later gave him a small sense of satisfaction.

"The arrays, you didn't even use them did you? You just murdered them you sick bastard!"

Lives had been wasted, innocent young victims slaughtered like cattle.

"Clever boy," Frank mouthed breathlessly, a smirk still tattooed to his features. Roy raised a brow in question, utterly tired and confused. It was amazing how differently the mind worked in different circumstances.

The Elric locked eyes with his superior and smiled triumphantly, eyes burning with determination.

"He doesn't need a circle. He's been leading us on!" _'But why bother leaving the arrays at the crime scene?_' he thought, it made no sense.

Frank caught the alchemist off guard, peeling the metal fingers from his throat, and pounding a fist into Ed's stomach. Edward staggered backwards, a blue flash of light blinded him, golden eyes blurred and squinted through the colourful flashes.

The crackle of alchemy fizzed beneath his pale palms, like a burst of lightening sparking from his fingertips, like a God. Never before has Frank felt so powerful. Now he knew why so many vowed to learn alchemy. It made them feel untouchable.

A long metal pole emerged from the floor, the tip pointed and sharp. He grasped it tightly, and lunged for the FullMetal alchemist.

Ed's automail transformed with a flash, the sound of clashing blades rang out through the air. The blond was quick on his feet, but he was struggling to keep up.

"I lost everything because of you and your stupid brother, my men, my mind, and my career!"

Ed remained silent, focusing on the beam weaving through the air, slicing through the oxygen like a knife through hot butter. A great weight settled on his chest, crushing his aching lungs like a slab of stone. Edward knew this feeling. It had followed him his entire life. Guilt.

The young alchemist carried the burden of so many things, things people his age shouldn't have to deal with. Ever. The fact was, everything had already happened to Ed, and he knew it would do no good trying to change the course of events. He and his brother had already learnt that lesson, the hard way.

Frank was mad, the blond had known since he had first laid eyes on the man. He could still remember those piercing blue eyes looking down at him, down at everyone. That navy uniform might has well of been a crown for all Frank cared. It was a reminder of his importance. It didn't matter that hundreds of others wore the same uniform, because Frank Archers fit better than anyone else's, the man had made sure that everyone knew.

It wasn't often that Edward saw the other Colonels. They were busy with their own teams, working their way to the top. Just like Roy Mustang was.

Despite the irregular meetings with some military faces, Ed never forgot a face when he saw one. /

_Colonel Mustang growled with irritation as another person clipped his shoulder, as if he hadn't been there in the first place. Invisible._

_The sun grilled the earth with no mercy for its inhabitants, its powerful blaze growing stronger as the day passed._

_Glancing at the other military dressed figures, Roy wasn't surprised to see that it wasn't just him that kept tugging at his tight collar. Several other men were trying to desperately relieve themselves of the heat, and failing. The few women present remained as stubborn as ever, refusing to touch their pristine uniforms, continuing to ignore the presence of the unbearable sun._

_Military ceremonies were usually warm, it was to be expected from the sheer mass of beings huddled together in thick uniforms, shirts buttoned to the collar. This year was no different. The intensity of the summer weather had arrived earlier than expected, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. _

_Approaching the Fuhrer was out of the question. Ever the bravest men and women refused adamantly._

_Each team had been arranged in a neat formation together, standing in impeccable straight lines that had been rehearsed strictly over and over again. Despite the procedure being the same each year, there were always a few beings that managed to go wrong. Even a single step out of time stood out like a sore thumb, and punishments were unavoidable._

_From the corner of his eye, Roy could see that even Hughes was struggling to stay enthusiastic. It was at times like this he wished Maes didn't work for investigations, and then perhaps the man's positivity could rub off on him._

_It was a blessing to know a man like Maes. After a rough day at the office the Colonel could always guarantee he would be waiting for him, with the promising offer of a drink and several hours of time to talk the frustration away. Despite the man having a family, he always managed to spare time for Roy when he most needed it, no matter what hour of the day it was._

_Friendship in the military wasn't often welcome with open arms, especially between soldiers in different teams and with different ranks. People couldn't understand that an entirely different world existed beyond fierce competition for promotions._

_The Colonel skimmed his onyx eyes over the large crowd with curiosity, ignoring the chattering of the public and the dull drumming of the band. Even the usually scruffiest men had taken the time to make their uniforms neat and orderly. Perhaps that was why one individual stood out to him the most. A familiar mop of blond hair approached him, not even caring as they disrupted the neat formations. There was only one person it could be, and Roy inwardly sighed with embarrassment. _

_The young alchemist couldn't care less that he wasn't in uniform, and could feel the stares drenching him from head to toe._

_As much as the teen irritated him, the Colonel admired Ed's rebellious attitude. Only one individual had the balls to interrupt like that. An Elric._

_The blond took his position next to his superior, a smug smile on his lips, like a Cheshire cat. Roy's admiration for Ed soon vanished as quickly as it had first appeared. It wouldn't be FullMetal receiving a scolding for this. It would be him, Roy Mustang._

"_What on earth are you doing?" the Colonel hissed, still facing forward, still as a statue, "I thought I sent you to Liore after that criminal?"_

"_You did," the teen replied, boredom seeping from his tone, "That was four days ago." He said as if it had been a walk in the park, when in fact, far from it._

_After several days of reckless duelling, the stubborn law breaker had surrendered, Alphonse had dragged his brother back to head quarters, and despite the nagging, Ed had once again refused to see a doctor. A few hours after his return home, he decided to drag his bruised and battered body to the office and pay the Colonel a visit, and of course brag how well the mission had gone. It was something he had __**really **__been looking forward to._

_Seeing the hundreds of troops gathered at the training grounds had done significant damage to his enthusiasm._

"_Are you injured?" there was a pause._

"_Nothing I can't handle."_

"_As soon as this is over, I will drag you to the hospital wing myself, you-"_

"_Save the lecture, I already had this one from Al."_

_The blond hissed as his lip twinged, still profoundly bleeding and the coppery taste dominating his taste buds. As the ceremony continued, Ed chose this particular moment to shut himself out from the world and dwell in the comfort of his own thoughts._

_It had been weeks since the Elric had found the time to do any research on the stone at all, and-_

_His golden eyes narrowed, flaring curiously at the gaunt looking figure several rows in front, looking directly at him. Ed chewed his lip in thought, immediately regretting it soon afterwards._

"_Colonel."_

"_What now?"_

"_Who's that guy over there?"_

_Roy sighed. "Which guy? There are hundreds of them!"_

"_The one looking at me."_

_The Colonel didn't like the way that blue gaze lingered on his subordinate, as if the man were very deep in thought. Whatever he was thinking, it had something to do with Edward, and Roy didn't like it. He scowled._

"_He's training with investigations, just ignore him. No one you need to know."_

"_I wish it was that easy."_

_After what seemed like hours later, Edward mentally noted never to attend another fancy ceremony if he could get away with it, and never to try and please his superior with an early report. The bastard would have to learn to wait like a good dog._

_Just as the prospect of leaving appeared ever so close, the blond found it snatched from his fingertips, as the Fuhrer decided to make one final announcement. A very long announcement, congratulating the best men for their succession in the recent attacks trying to locate Scar._

_There was no doubt that innocent people had been slaughtered and injured, it was always expected from the military. Alchemists were supposed to be for the people. Ed couldn't understand why state alchemists had to be so entirely different. They were used as human weapons, congratulated for each life they took, regardless of whose it was._

_Apparently, according to Fuhrer Bradley, war was a necessity. The FullMetal alchemist had to strongly disagree._

_Of course for every life taken from the opposition, there had to be an occasional comrade lost._

"_We shall remember them."_

_Ed couldn't listen to the man's words any longer; they were making him sick to the stomach. Everyone he was blatantly lying. The deceased would soon be replaced and long forgotten; the number of coffins would grow and grow until finally Bradley had reached the very top. The man was already Fuhrer, what more did he want?_

_Little did Edward know, he had much more to learn about Bradley, something he would soon discover in the following years to come. Greed was a terrible emotion, an uncontrollable desire that ruined even the nicest of people._

_The pale man was still watching. Ed wondered how he hadn't spotted such a face before, something that stood out and was so unforgettable._

_When the military dogs were free to leave, a hoard of soldier's poured from the training grounds, more egger to begin work than they ever had been before. In a matter of minutes all that remained was the occasional group of people lingering behind, chattering amongst themselves._

_The Colonel didn't look amused in the slightest, a stern frown and a pair of narrowed eyes looked back at his blond subordinate. Words collected at the tip of his tongue, but Roy knew it was better for him to keep his mouth shut this time. He was far too exhausted to lecture the boy again, and he knew the alchemist hadn't been having the best time recently._

"_If you're quite finished trying to show me up FullMetal, you can hand in your report."_

_Ed silently pulled several folded pieces of paper from his pocket and tossed them carelessly to his superior, like the reckless teen he was. _

_Soon he found himself walking the long stretch of central's corridors, embracing the long silence. What he wasn't expecting, was a hand on his shoulder._

_After jumping several feet in the air and nursing his pounding heart, the blond glared daggers and turned swiftly to the person directly responsible. Standing behind him, was the gaunt looking figure from earlier. The man reached out a hand with a smile and introduced himself._

"_Frank Archer, you must be Edward Elric if I am not mistaken."_

_The Elric stared at the hand offered to him and nodded silently, curiosity welling up inside of him. It was highly unlikely that Frank was simply looking for friendship. He was just like the others, looking for a person to put in a good word for them to widen their reputation, and thus, Ed snapped straight to the point._

"_What do you want?"_

_Frank looked hardly surprised by the alchemists rude outburst, after all it was no secret that FullMetal liked to speak his mind to whomever he pleased._

"_You're so very talented," Archer forced a smile upon his lips as if he were disgusted. "I've"_

"_Heard so much about you," Ed finished, as if he'd rehearsed the same line time and time again. Now he was certain. The man was defiantly after something, just like the rest of them._

_Archer was getting more and more fond of that wild attitude as the minutes passed. If the blond used his power and reputation the right way, he could become great, greater than he already was. It was always the people with the most influence who didn't wish for fame or a wild. It was always the lowly likes like himself who became the most famous dictators, who wanted far more than they could ever possess._

"_Would you care to-"_

"_No." The teen snapped before the man could even finish._

"_Not even if-"_

"_No."_

"_You could at least-"_

"_Edward!"_

_There was only one person that was always happy at work._

_Ed spun on his heel to find an ecstatic looking Maes bounding towards him, trademark grin etched to his features, a pile of paperwork tucked neatly under his arm._

"_It's been a while, how have you been?"_

"_Wonderful... absolutely wonderful..." the blond sighed._

_How could he be happy? Al was still bound to the suit of armour, he was still lugging a pair of false limbs around, and as if life couldn't get any worse his research budget had been cut degradingly low by the 'higher ups' at the Colonel had so nicely put it._

_The man hadn't looked very sympathetic when he had broken the news, and Ed had taken it... as well as he ever did, storming through the hallways and disrespecting furniture as usual._

_Hughes couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the boy and looked at the work tucked under his arm, and then to the frown on Edwards face. Work could always wait._

"_You busy?"_

_The blond shook his head._

"_Great! We have so much catching up to do!"_

_Flinging an arm around the teen's neck, Maes dragged a reluctant Ed to his office for some well deserved time out and a long chat that was much needed. The young alchemist looked back, golden eyes flaring like the sun._

_The hall was empty. Frank was gone, not leaving a single trace behind him._

Edward bit down hard on his lip until he could feel it sting in protest.

Good, the drug was beginning to free Ed from its clutches, whatever the substance was.

Growling with frustration he lunged for the weaving beam and clasped it tightly in his hand. The metal was beginning to strain under the force, creaking as the blond's knuckles turned a deadly shade of white.

Their eyes were locked, gold glaring at blue.

"If I win," the blond wheezed tiredly, "You'll tell me what you wanted."

"Wanted?"

"The day of the ceremony, remember?"

Frank lifted his head as he recalled the distant memory, smiling as he had done before.

"If you win hmm? You're feeling rather confident."

"Not if," the Elric corrected, "when."

As the alchemy buzzed at his fingertips, Edward sadly recalled the promise he had made to himself two years ago. No alchemy.

After that first clap in so long he'd been disgusted with himself. He already knew he was slipping back into his old ways, relying on alchemy when his strength failed him. Gripping the metal in his hand, he squeezed tighter. He hoped he could be forgiven.

Forgiven by whom?

It didn't matter. Himself perhaps?

It was about time Edward forgave himself for everything.

**There will probably be a mistake or two, I have checked it several times but mistakes always slip past me. Thank you for being patient : )**


End file.
